


Witches, Mortals and Vampires

by GCJunk13



Category: Carlisle Cullen - Fandom, Twilight, edward cullen - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-17
Updated: 2012-05-17
Packaged: 2017-11-05 12:49:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/406570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GCJunk13/pseuds/GCJunk13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So this is a story my sister and I started but never finished. Please comment and let us know if you think we should finish it. (Just a warning, it does still have some of the side notes and comments we made while writing it.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Witches, Mortals and Vampires

Jesse is human. Meets Edward at school.  
Born in Cleveland Ohio, to Mother - Robin Dark and Steven Dark.  
Very intelligent and independent.  
Father is a little on the abusive, psycho side.  
Mother took her to a random town to get away from him.  
Father is still looking for them.

Jade (1832) belonged to a witches coven.  
They hunted down "Shadows" and other creatures that might harm humans.  
She was turned in the late 1700's but their aging was slowed down at birth.  
Has suppressed her witch powers due to the inability to control them after her change.  
Is the wife of Carlisle.

 

 

The rain poured down on the small and sleepy town of Forks, WA. It had been that way for four straight days.  
Jesse looked out the window of the black Chevy truck that her mother drove for 8 years. The puddles that were  
disturbed by the trucks tires kicked up water against the windows.

"Is it going to be like this weather all the time?" Jesse breathed heavily and looked across the seat at her mother.

"It's Washington hun. The rainiest city there is." Robin responded trying to see the road signs through the rain.

"I know I was just asking." She looked back out the window.

`````  
"Hey! Did you hear? There's going to be a new girl at school tomorrow!" Mike Newton looked the most excited  
he's ever been in a long time. The quiet little city didn't get many new comers.

Angela sat down next to Mike and waited for Eric to follow. "Does anyone know what her name is? I wonder  
what she's into. It would be nice to get a new face on the newspaper team." She smiled at the people around her.

"I hear she's a babe!" Taylor gave a click and stole Eric's coke.

"Dude! Give that back!" Eric ran after his friend to retrieve the stolen drink.

Jessica rolled her eyes and looked at Mike with a wide smile. "You guys are such children."

Mike laughed but ended up getting pegged in the head by a piece of paper that Taylor threw at Eric and missed.  
"Oh that's it! You guys are getting it!"

The five teens at the far end of the cafeteria sat away from everyone else. Rosalie rolled her eyes at the naivety  
of the boys attacking each other. She looked at her three brothers and rolled them again, comparing them to  
the humans.

"You are actually comparing us to human boys Rose?" Edward raised eyebrow.

"Only in how foolish you are." She scoffed.

"What do ya say to that?" Emmett laughed.

"Piss off." Was Edwards simple reply.

Rosalie glared at her seemingly younger brother.

Alice laughed at them in her bell like voice. She took Jasper's hand in hers and smiled at something only she  
could see.

```````---Next day---````````

"Bye mom! I'm on my way to school," Jesse said as she left the new house and got in the new car that her  
uncle was letting her borrow until she got her own.

"Bye!!" The short teenagers mom shouted after her daughter as she locked the door and left to go look for a job.

When Jesse got to school the rain had subsided and she managed to get inside to the main office without falling  
face-first on the pavement or getting too wet, a major accomplishment for the uncoordinated female.

"Hello, you must be the new girl" an overly perky lady at the front desk said when Jesse entered.

"Yup thats me. I've been known to be somewhat of a rebel and go by my name too." Jesse said annoyed as  
she walked up to the receptionist. She wasn't really annoyed at the title "New Girl", but more so at the fact that  
she knew she was going to have to listen to people referring to her by that title until they learned her name,  
which, she figured, wouldn't be too much longer considering how small the town was.

"Well, aren't you just the cutest," The lady said as she handed Jesse a class schedule. The tag on her  
desk indicated that her name was Ms. Rosalyn."This is your class schedule,this is a map of the building, and  
this is your parking pass. You can get away with not having it today but tomorrow it will need to be visibly on  
your vehicle, and we need you to bring back this sheet of paper tomorrow with your cars plate numbers, make,  
model and color."

"Thanks." Jesse said quietly as she tried to avoid as much eye contact as possible turning around to leave  
and head to her first class. As she got out of the main office building she noticed that everyone else was just  
starting to show up to school. She received all sorts of stares, ranging from people who hadn't heard the news  
of her showing up yet, to guys checking her out, to threatening looks of other girls scared of the new person  
they did not yet know.

"Welcome!" A friendly male voice said as Jesse walked into her first class of the day. It was a typical  
Tuesday, dull, upsetting at the fact that there were 3 days left in the week but happy that Monday was over.  
"Umm...all our other partners are taken so you will have to sit over..." the teacher, Mr. Brown, paused to find  
a seat for her to go. During this pause, Jesse noticed a young man who was in her own discription, very pretty.  
He was thin, pale, and had bronze colored hair and beautiful big dark eyes. All of a sudden he stiffened and gave  
a look of utter annoyance, still maintaining eye contact. Jesse thought for a moment that she had angered him in  
some way. It looked like someone took a knife and stuck it through his back.

"Miss Dark?" The teacher questioned, pulling Jesse out of her daze. "You can sit there next to Mr. Cullen."

Jesse walked over to the empty seat cautiously and sat, smiling as sweetly as she could.

Edward looked away with a face of disgust. He swallowed hard and looked like he stopped breathing.

Jesse tried not to look at him. 'What's his problem? I don't stink. I know that. I took a shower....twice!'

Mr. Brown began to write on the white board, lining out what they were going to do for this lesson.

Jesse let her eyes wonder from the board to the boy sitting next to her. He held his hand over his mouth,  
a deep ridge formed between his eyebrows. She figured that he must have been thinking very intently. She  
saw his other hand gripping the table, his knuckles impossibly whiter then his skin, the muscles pulled to the  
limit. 'What the hell is wrong with him?' She continued to wonder.

The class went on like that. Edward continued to look grossed out and in pain, while Jesse stayed in a  
constant state of confusion.

``````````````````````````````````

"Elizabeth." Mrs. Jade Cullen said while looking at her son's empty seat up front.

A small red headed girl looked up at the history teacher. "Yeah Mrs. Cullen?"

"Have you seen Edward? He's never late to my class." The slightly older woman looked utterly confused.

"He was here at lunch Mrs." Elizabeth waited for a reply from her teacher but got nothing. She shrugged  
her shoulders and went to sit down with her friends before the bell rang.

Jade looked at the door and waited to see if Edward would walk through the door at all, but he never came.  
The bell rang and she stood behind her desk to make a mental note of all the students that were not there.  
'Edward must be in one of his moods again.' "Alright everyone. The Salem Witch Trials started in 1692.  
You've all read the Crucible in English I'm sure." She walked around her desk and crossed her arms.  
"This was one of the time periods that torture was improved upon."

``````````````````````````````````

Jesse sighed, she'd been bombarded all day with people asking her questions that she had to repeat  
every two minutes. She was so tired of being the new girl. But on the bright side, they were learning her name  
quickly. She looked at the last class on her list. History. She hated history. They never seem to teach the real  
events. Only the buttered up version that you read to your kids at night so they wouldn't have nightmares.

Jade looked up from her desk as she placed the papers from the previous class into her folder. She watched  
as the new student walked into the classroom. The small breeze in the room due to the fan on the ceiling carried  
her sent to the history teacher. Mrs. Cullen caught a whiff and she closed her eyes a moment. Her family  
needed to plan another hunting trip very soon. "Welcome to History Ms. Dark. Sit anywhere you'd like." She  
offered her hand to the chairs that filled up quickly.

Jesse looked up at this new teacher. She was as pale as Edward and her eyes were a lighter shade of  
golden brown. Her dark hair was layered to three different levels and she smiled warmly at her. Jesse gave  
a small smile and felt warm for some reason. And she knew Jesse's name. Looking around there only seemed  
to be two seats left, one in the front and one next to a window. The girl hated the sun so she instantly chose the  
one closest to the front.

The bell rang and Mrs. Cullen looked down at the notes that were to be taught that day. She gave a great  
sigh and looked around at her students. "Well it does seem about that time again doesn't it."

Jesse rolled her eyes. She knew what season it was. The holiday was around the corner. Thanksgiving.  
That warm feeling vanished.

"Thanksgiving came around to us in the usual way." (So they say...) She said something else under her breath  
that the kids couldn't hear.

Jesse raised her hand cautiously, trying not to fuck up the only sense of warmth in a friendly face she had  
felt all day.

"The Europeans came over on a boat, the Natives showed them how to grow corn, then they had dinner  
and everything was great." Mrs. Cullen said facing the board, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She wrote a  
series of dates on the board, then turned around to see Jesse's hand in the air. "Yes, Ms. Dark?"

"You can't possibly believe that that is the way it happened..." Jesse began, then when she wasn't stopped, she  
continued. "The Europeans used that particular day to lead all the Native men out into the open...why don't you teach  
the real event?" She asked.

"Well, as much as I would love to teach the real version of the holiday, if I want to get paid, I have to teach  
what the school tells me too." Mrs. Cullen said.

Jesse thought for a moment, then came up with an idea. "You have to teach what the school tells you to teach in  
order to get paid...I don't get paid for anything. I could merely speak what I know to be true about the day and you  
wouldn't get in trouble because it's not you who strayed from the books," she reasoned.

"I suppose that would work." Mrs. Cullen said as she sat back in her chair, a smile on her face.

Jesse went on telling about how the Europeans slaughtered the Native Americans and enslaved the ones  
they didn't kill. Shortly after she was done, the bell rang.

"Well Ms. Dark, you definitely seem to know your history. Where did you learn all of that?" Mrs. Cullen questioned.

"Well, my mom and dad are Native American and they have the books that tell about how the holiday  
was origi-" Jesse began to explain but was cut off by Edward walking in and starting to speak.

"Mom. Sorry I wasn't in cla-" he paused all of a sudden, just realizing Jesse's scent was in the room. He  
turned around to see her standing there, paying him no mind and putting all her things in her bag. He stopped and  
stared at her with an ice-cold expression, jaw clenched and fists tightened.

"Well, Mrs. Cullen. I have to go now. Mom will be waiting for me at the house," she lied and walked, head down,  
past Edward, pretending to not even notice his existence. After all, if he was going to be an ass to her, why should  
she pay him any kindness?

Edward stared after the door, then when the scent faded a bit he loosened his fists and began talking again,  
walking over to his desk and sitting where he always did. "Sorry I wasn't in class. I had something to take care of..."

"I take it you know Jesse?" Jade asked as she began putting all of her things away.

"I don't know her, but I know of her. When are we going hunting?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know yet. I will talk to Carlisle about that when we get home. It's supposed to be sunny on Thursday.  
You can stay home until then if you need. I understand." she offered.  
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Jesse pulled into the driveway and greeted her mom when she got inside.

"Hey sweetie. How was your day?" Robin asked, concerned that her daughter was going to tell her that  
she snapped at someone or hit them for asking too many questions.

"It was alright. If you'll excuse me though I have to go do my homework and I am pretty tired so I think I will go  
to bed after that," Jesse responded as she went up the stairs, tripping on the last stair.  
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Jade looked at her family as they all piled into the cars they drove to school that day. "I'm riding with Edward  
today Rose."

Alice looked at her older brother a little worried. "Listen to her." She told him.

Edward looked angry. His eyes slid back and forth from his sister to his mother. After a nod he opened the  
passenger door to his silver Volvo and waited for his mother to climb in.

Jade grabbed the door after throwing her bag in the back but paused. "Emmett. Do the homework."

"He won't." Alice laughed.

Their 'mother figure' gave Emmett a look that screamed volumes. One that should never be seen on a teacher  
or a mother.

"Now he will!" Alice scratched the curls that layered the top of the big teens head.

Jade's face lifted to a pleasant smile and she finally sat into the seat, Edward closing the door after her. "See you  
at home."

Edward started the car and took the sharp turn to the entrance to the parking lot at 50.

"Are you going to tell me what happened to make you so angry?" Jade looked out the windshield, knowing that  
Edward wouldn't really want to be looked at while he was angry. 

Edward's jaw tightened while he tried not to think about the girls sent. "She's...she walked into class and I..."

Jade remembered the moment that Jesse came into her classroom. The girl had smell especially good.

"I almost couldn't stop myself Jade. I planed to kill her. She wouldn't have lived to see tomorrow." His hands  
gripped tightly on the wheel. "Have you ever....smelled someone so...." He failed at the words that described the  
smell of her blood.

Jade lowered her eyes. "...beyond temptation." She finished for him.

Edward's head snapped in her direction. "You have? What did you do? How?" He searched his mothers  
mind, looking for the answer he wanted. But he found nothing, she had completely blocked him out. She was the  
only one of the family that could.

"Please! Jade I have to know!" Edward was desperate.

"Alice won't like this." She breathed. "Speak with Carlisle. He's the only one that can give you an answer  
that you need."

The car speed up on the streets as they got closer to the house. "Will you ever tell me?"

'Some day Edward. But right now.....speak with Carlisle.' She said inside her head.

The boy nodded. His father would know. Even if he already knew what he had to do.

``````````````````````````````

Carlisle looked up at his son for eighty years. "Whats wrong?"

"I have to leave." Was all Edward said.

Alice and Emmett looked at him in confusion. Alice's eyes began to unfocus. "No. I don't understand.  
Why? I haven't seen this." Jade continued to look at the wood floor of the living room. The small girl looked at  
her mother. "I saw you would show him and he would understand!" Her voice was almost a shout.  
"What was it? Wha-" And then she saw it, the images of the new girl in Edwards arms. The light in her  
eyes slowly fading as she died in pain. The look on her brothers face at the sheer pleasure the girls blood  
gave him sent chills down her spine.

Edward closed his eyes at the image he saw in her head. "Stop it!" He growled. His throat burning  
with the memory of her sent.

"You can't leave us."

"Will you guys please tell us normal vampires what the hell is going on?" Emmett huffed. He hated their  
little exchanges.

Carlisle walked to Jade's side and put a hand on her shoulder. He looked in her gold eyes for the answer  
he needed to give his son.

"I can't give you what you should say Carlisle." She would miss Edward if he left, as would everyone else.

Jasper held onto Alice's hand, she was sad at the new images that came to her head. "What else do you see?"  
He whispered in her ear.

"He wants to leave." If she could cry she would. "To leave us."

Carlisle finally took his son aside and away from the rest of the family. "Tell me everything." And Edward did.  
He told him the thoughts that coursed through his head when he smelt the girls blood. How he wanted, and plotted to  
kill everyone in the room just so no one could witness her death. He wanted to drain her life so bad. That somehow  
he was able to resist the temptation. He told his father of the conversation he had with his mother in the car.  
He still wanted to know how she dealt with the situation and almost tired to force the information out of Carlisle's  
thoughts. But Jade hadn't spoken a word to him about the experience.

"I know you will do what is right. You're my son." The bronze haired boy knew what pain Carlisle felt at the  
inevitable choise that his son would make with out reading his mind. It was written on his face. Edward nodded  
and turned away only to be caught by Alice.

"We can go with you." She offered even though she didn't see it. 

"We only just got here! I am not starting school all over again!" Rosalie protested.

Jade looked at Rosalie. "You could always start your senior year at the new place-" But she was cut off.

"And only have to move again that sooner?! I like it here! There is hardly any sun. Ever! We can almost be  
normal here!" She was angry. Emmett put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"Don't be ridiculous Rosalie, of course we'd leave for Ed-" Jade started to argue, holding tightly onto Carlise's  
hand.

"No. I don't want you all to move." Edward interrupted her.

"Stay one more day. Stay away from her and see. Please. If it's still unbearable, then you can leave." Alice  
pleaded. She held on tightly to Jasper with hope that her brother would agree.

Closing his eyes and breathing the air around him, the air that smelled like his family, the teen nodded.  
"I'm going to hunt." And he was gone.

Jade looked at Carlisle and knew what Edward had told him. But to keep it safe from his adoptive son, her  
husband would have to stay in the dark for now.

```````````````````````````````````````````````

Jesse showed up to school the next day and turned in all of her paperwork, just barely in time to make it to  
her first class of the day. The first few classes went by pretty uneventfully. She talked to the same people that  
showed her around the day before. When lunch time came around, she entered the cafeteria slowly, searching  
for the group of people she sat with the last time she was in this particular area of the school.

As she finally spotted Mike, Eric, Jessica, Angela and Tyler,she waived and began to slowly make her way  
to them, when suddenly she tripped on someones foot and started to fall.The person apologized for tripping  
her as she was being caught by someone else, someone surprisingly strong and fast. She looked up to  
see a pair of dark almost black eyes staring back at her. At first she thought the eyes belonged to Edward,  
and was about to ask him why he looked so angry at her the day before, but then she soon realized that the  
owner was instead someone else just as pale, but not quite as tall.

"Thanks" she tried to say to him but he bit his lip and walked away swiftly. She just shrugged her shoulders,  
turned around and walked over to the table. The rest of lunch was spent with her staring over at the table  
where the boy who just prevented her from landing face-first on the cafeteria floor sat with three friends that  
all had the same striking appearances. Towards the end of lunch she glanced over at the table again, this  
time noticing that there was a fifth person there. She recognized the bronze hair and almost too subtle features.  
Edward. At least she would be able to talk to him in biology. One thing he was supposed to learn quickly was  
that she was no where near as quiet and mousy normally as she had been the day before.

``````````````````````````````````````````````````  
Edward stood at the other end of the cafeteria. He stayed as far from the entrance of the cafeteria as he could.  
Planing to follow the girls movements and thoughts. The idea was to stay away from her as long as possible. That  
would be hard in Biology. He had decided to skip that class for the day. Suddenly remembering Jesse's smell in his  
mothers classroom, he decided that he would try to deal with that lingering scent. When the dark haired girl walked  
into the room, Edward tested the air and realized that she was upwind. He wouldn't have to worry about her smell  
drifting to his spot on the wall.

The girl looked around shyly, her eyes searching for something familiar. He narrowed his eyes when he  
couldn't hear any thoughts in her head. He tired harder, searching for the right tone that they may be in.  
Remembering her voice from the other day as she spoke with Jade, he tried to pick it out. But there was nothing.  
Jesse's eyes finally came to rest on the table that Mike Newton and his group of friend sat at. She waved and  
made her way to the table. Edward continued to watch her as she tripped over another students foot. Hearing  
Jasper's exclamation of distress as he took a hold of Jesse by the arm caught his attention. The boy looked at  
Jesse with hungry eyes. His thoughts only wondering to how long it had been since he had last hunted and then  
he quickly let her go, leaving to sit down next to Alice.

Edward saw him swallow hard and let her go, fleeing to Alice's side. Finally sitting with his family after a little  
while, he continued to see if he could read Jesse's thoughts.

"You alright?" Emmett asked but got no reply. "I'm fine Emmett. Thanks for asking. How are you? I'm good  
too, Edward want to watch the game tonight? No Emmett, I'm too busy staring at a girl that I'm pretty sure I want  
to kill cause she's so damn delish-ow!" Emmett mocked but was hit by Rosalie. She didn't want to hear those  
last words come from his lips about another woman ever.

`````````````````````````````````````````````  
"Jesse? Hello!" Mike inquired trying to catch her attention.

"Yeah?" she responded absent-mindedly, basically unable to look away from the gorgeous man that sat  
so far away on the other side of the cafeteria.

"It's time to go," he stated as everyone began to clear out. She wondered why Edward wasn't leaving yet,  
but decided to just wait until class to talk to him. She didn't want to be late on her 2nd day, but when she got  
there and the bell rang Edward was nowhere to be found. She waited the whole class for him to show up.  
She saw him glance her direction in the lunch room and it seemed like he was still mad. At what though?  
She didn't see how she could have possibly made him mad.

Over the next few days Jesse became jumpy every time the door to Biology would open. She would  
zone out during lunch and watch the table where everyone else he was with sat hoping that he would  
somehow show up out of no where.  
``````````````````````````````````````````````  
Jesse decided to eat outside on the following Monday since there wasn't any sun, but it wasn't raining either. It  
was nice out there. She talked with everyone, after finally giving up on searching for her new obsession, which  
even she found a little odd considering she didn't even know more than his first name. She thought about  
asking her new friends if they could tell her anything about the group of people he hung out with, but didn't  
when she decided that would make her seem too girly.

Biology came and she walked in and sat down. She was one of the first 3 people in room. She sat in her  
chair and began drawing in her journal. Just before the bell rang the chair next to her scooted out and a  
pair of boots appeared on the ground, with what seemed like never-ending legs attached.  
(and nothing else!!! WTF?!?!?!).

"You showed up today! I'm impressed," Jesse commented, not looking up from her journal.

Edward looked at Jesse, a little surprised that she would talk to him so suddenly. "I was out of town."  
He tried not to breath when he sat down in the chair next to her. "Uh. I'm Edward Cullen. I didn't get to  
introduce myself properly last time." He really hoped he didn't have to speak much more then he just did.  
He was hoping that this girls subconscious instinct would warn her away from him. If she continued to speak  
to him, he'd have to breath in more air that just carried her taste.

"I'm Jesse Dark. I don't care about the introductions though. Why did you seem so angry all of a  
sudden yesterday?" Jesse responded looking up, catching eye to eye with him. She noticed his eyes didn't  
seem as dark as they had last time she saw him, but then again, she didn't really look at his eyes so she  
could have been mistaken in his eye color.

Looking at her for the first time, trying to get past the burning in his throat, Edward noticed that she was pretty.  
Set within wide almond eyes were a pair of emeralds that almost reflected his own when he was human. Her long  
face was balanced out with high cheek bones and a natural paleness for the ethnicity her blood boasted. His  
eyes never leaving hers in an attempt to read them, he said: "I'd rather not say. It's a bit personal."

But Jesse didn't get a chance to reply. Mr. Brown had started the class. "Alright guys. You all have a series of  
slides on your tables. Each one is a phase in the cellular generation in mitosis. You! Have to put them in order from  
the first phase to the last. First partners to finish," The older man turned around and grabbed a gold colored onion  
from his desk. "gets the Golden Onion!" A series of groans erupted from the class, Mr. Brown looked like he was  
enjoying each minute.

Jesse and Edward did the assignment as told while continuing their conversation. "Okay. Fair enough.  
So...have you lived in Forks your whole life?" she questioned, half-assed looking through the microscope at the  
slide in front of her.

"Our family used to live here a long time ago. We came back only a few years ago." He managed to get  
out with the last of the breath he held in his lungs. For the first time in a long time, he was grateful for Mr. Brown  
hovering over his students. As the man passed by, a current of fresh air followed him. Edward took as deep a  
breath as he dared before Jesse's scent mixed with it. "Why did you move to Forks?" 'And why don't you go  
back to where you came from?' He wanted to add.

"I'd rather not say. It's a bit personal," she joked, mimicking his voice. "Actually, I am here because my dad went  
psycho and got abusive towards me and my mom so she picked a random small town that we knew we had  
family in, halfway across the country to get away from him," she stated, a little pissed off still about the fact that  
she had to move in the first place. "I'd love to go back eventually," she began again, "but I can't until authorities  
catch him and it's all safe and cozy again" She said the last part in a joking way, trying to lighten the suddenly  
tense mood between them.

Edward looked at the girl that sat at his side. She intrigued him. She didn't react the way he thought she might.  
"So strange things happen to you often do they?"

"If you hadn't noticed, I'm somewhat of a strange person," she joked. "Actually I-you mis spelled anophase- am  
kinda like a magnet for weird. No matter where I go the awkward just seems to find me," she sighed, staring straight  
ahead, seeing him slightly glare at her out of the corner of her eye for correcting his spelling.

He raised an eyebrow. The awkward finds her? Then she has the ultimate worst  
of luck the minute her eyes met Edward. But he ran out of breath, even if he wanted to  
say anything else. Turning his attention back to the project at hand, he looked into the  
microscope and waited for Mr. Brown to pass by.

"So..."Jesse began, not really remembering what she was going to say, "Umm...How are you doing? Did you  
enjoy your week long hiatus from school last week when you mysteriously disappeared?"

Edward wished she hadn't continued to talk to him. He had no air left in his lungs, the burning in his throat  
growing stronger the longer he sat next to this girl. He acted as if he was thinking of his answer. Mr. Brown walked  
up to their desk and looked at their paper. Edward took a deep breath of the air that Mr. Brown brought with him.

"Don't you think you should have let Ms. Dark do her own work?" The teacher raised an eyebrow.

"Uh actually," Jesse started to say, anger coloring her voice.

"She did 3 of the 5 answers sir." Edward spoke up for her. He learned something new about the girl today.  
She had a temper.

Mr. Brown looked at Jesse. "Have you done this lab before?" He questioned.

"Yes." She answered curtly. "We used a different root." Her words were cut and short.

"Nice to finally have another intelligent student in class." He said quietly as he walked away.

````````````````````````````````  
Jade looked at the letters she picked up this morning, not getting a chance to look through them, as  
Edward had made the both of them late. She never learned to drive a car. (ahhahah!!!!) Preferring the old horses  
she knew how to control completely. When she finally came to the last letter, her heart would have stopped if it still  
beat within her chest. 'How?' She thought in disbelief.

Edward walked into the classroom looking at his mother. Her normally quiet thoughts, loud in his mind. He  
saw the look on her face. Walking up to the desk he looked square in her eyes, the letter disappearing before he  
even noticed. "Are you alright?" He asked quietly.

Jade couldn't hide her emotions. 'After school. Promise.' And promise was not in her vocabulary.

Class started and Edward went to sit down. "Alright guys! Pull out your papers and lets see what  
you came up with. Remember there are no wrong answers with things like this....only....well. I'm really not aloud  
to say that last part." She smiled at her class but Edward knew it was fake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Jesse walked to her next class, a little mad at the previous teacher for not giving her credit and assuming that  
she had had Edward do her work for her.

"Hey Jesse" Mike said as he sat down. "Whats going on? You looked mad at the end of class"

"Oh, it was nothing. Just...nothing." she said and just sat there, waiting for the next class to come and be gone.

 

When the bell rang she got up and walked blankly to her final class of the day. Not paying attention to where  
she was going, she bumped into someone on her way into Ms. Cullen's class.

"Sorry," she said, snapping out of her dazed state of mind and looking up to see that it was Edward.  
`````````````````````  
Edward looked Jesse in the eyes and tried his best not to suck in the air around her. He quickly looked to  
Jade and then darted out the door, not prepared for the meeting at all. "Sorry." He made his apologies in passing.

Jade inclined her head with a smile. "He's had a lot on his mind these days. How are you doing?" She liked  
Jesse. She was smart and out spoken. Everything the schools in her time feared and even today.

"I'm fine. Or I would be fine if I knew whether or not Edward was mad at me. That and teachers weren't  
such..." She stopped, her mouth open, and then looked at Ms. Cullen. Jesse had forgotten who she was talking to.  
But instead of the disapproving frown she expected to see, there was a broad and glistening smile.  
And she began to feel that warmth she felt from the first day of school.  
``````````````````

Alice looked at her brother. A broad smile across her lips that made Jade's pale in compression. 'Come on.  
Today wasn't that bad.' She presented the images that her visions had given her.

The two of them talking together in class, a few lunches where they sat alone. And more of the future that  
was blurred and unseen.

"Alice please." Edward huffed in frustration. He moved past her and walked into the living room. Emmett and  
Jasper stood playing chess, using eight seprate boards. He didn't even bother and ask to join in. They always  
accused him of cheating. He swore he never did, but he always seemed to win.

Rosalie sat on the couch flipping through TV channels as if she wasn't watching any of them. The people on  
the screen not even getting one word in before a new person appeared. The only thoughts going through her head  
were of boredom. Those thoughts soon turned to ones about Emmett that made him quickly dive out of her head.  
The teen didn't not want any elaboration on just how 'big' his brother 'really' was.

Edward searched the house for Carlisle, but his lack of thoughts told him that his father was called into the  
hospital today. He searched for his mothers thoughts and couldn't hear them either. But that didn't mean she  
wasn't in the house. She had walked in before him. It just meant that he would have to search for her by smell.  
She wasn't in the study, or the room she and Carlisle shared together, the first two places she normally would be.  
Instead she was outside, in the garden she kept for her continual training. He thought this odd because she didn't  
go to the gardens until she was done with her papers from school.

He headed to the glass door that lead out into the greenest part of their lush house. No matter what  
year it was, Jade always kept the roses and trees in full bloom. Her and Alice's little slice of heaven when the  
snows would over take the rest of Forks.

Edward found Jade kneeling down next to her white rose bush. He waited for his presence to be known.  
The bronze haired boy still couldn't pick anything out of the shield that his mother had around her mind. It was  
just as frustrating as not being able to read Jesse's thoughts. The girl was so strange. But he was used to  
hearing Jade's thoughts most of the time. The fact that she would hide them from him worried Edward.

"You're still wondering about my outburst today, are you not?" She said with out turning around.

"I am." And he tried to focus on her mind harder. Maybe if he could push past the barrier Jade could form,  
then maybe he could punch a hole in the one Jesse didn't even seem to know she had.

"Well it's pointless not to tell you." She allowed him access to the answers in her mind that he wanted. Edward  
saw the letter and shared the mixed feelings his mother had. She was afraid and angry. But he still didn't  
understand. The letter was written in an old script by a man named Lyle Rose, stating that he was coming for  
a visit and to expect him in the next few months.

"I don't-" Edward stated to say.

"Mr. Lyle Rose is my father Edward, in a sense your Grandfather. And he had no idea where I was, until now.  
And I am very sure he doesn't know that I am a vampire." She smiled but her thoughts were filled with the  
same anger and fear she had when reading the letter.

Edward was confused. He was slowly getting very irritated with the rapid development of his not so normal  
'after life' turning into a daytime soap.  
````````````  
Jesse walked out of the front door to her house. "Bye mom! I'll be right back!"

"Okay! Don't stay out too late! You still have school tomorrow!" Her mother yelled from the kitchen.

"I won't! Love you!" Jesse closed the door and climbed into the back of Jessica's car, Angela taking up the  
front seat. "Alright where are we headed?"

"Well! There is this new diner a few miles out. It's got an arcade and everything. The grand opening is  
today so the meals are half off and the first two games are free. Mike, Tyler, and Eric are meeting us up there."  
Her smile was all too bright.

The shorter girl shrugged her shoulders. "Sounds good to me." She looked at Angela and smiled winking.  
Jesse knew that she liked Eric and was hoping to get the two together.

The drive to the diner was short as the girl listened and sung to the music on the radio. When they  
finally pulled up they saw Mike's van outside the building.

"Guess the guys got here early." Jessica looked through the windows to see where they were.  
"That's a first. When is a guy ever early?" Jesse rolled her eyes as they walked in. The diner was  
warmer then the temperature outside. Jesse looked around for the table as well. The boys sat close to the  
darker room of the arcade. Various colored lights streamed against the walls for more entertainment. "Hey." She  
said walking up to her chair.

Mike looked at Jesse with a smile, forgetting the other two girls that were with her. "Hey Jesse." His  
attention was turned to the other girls when Jessica gave a small cough. "Glad you guys could make it."

"Hey, where is Eric?" Angela looked around for the Asian boy.

Tyler sat down with three drinks in hand. "He's in the bathroom. He'll be out soon. Hey Jesse!" Tyler  
smiled Jesse at well.

Raising one of her eyebrows Jesse looked away when the waitress came to get their orders.

"Hi. My name is Tracie, I'm gonna be your waitress today. Have you had a chance to look at the menu or  
do you just want to order drinks right now?" She smiled. This red haired girl actually looked like she enjoyed being  
a waiter. Either she was new to the whole thing, or she was a great actor.

"I just want a Dr. Pepper with now ice for now. Thanks. Hey I'm gonna look at the games alright." Jesse  
didn't wait for a reply. She could hear Jessica asking Mike what he got before she could only hear the sounds of  
kids and games as she got closer to the arcade room. Taking out her wallet she pulled a few dollors out to  
exchange for quaters at the machine next to the room. Holding the cup of change, she turned the corner she  
stopped dead in her tracks. There at the crane machine stood her History teacher. Jade Cullen.

"HA!" She chimed, reaching into the machine and drew out a small green bear. She held it up in triumph,  
showing it off to a girl Jesse only knew from seeing her with Edward at lunch. "Take that Alice!" Her teacher beamed  
at the small girl with gleaming white teeth. Jade put the bear into a bag of other crane machine animals.

Alice gave a bright smile. "Oh I will." She was much too confident as she put the quarter in and began  
her own round of 'the-claw-god-choosing-the-sacrificial-stuffed-animal-of-the-day'.

"Holy crap...is that our History teacher?" Mike said from beside Jesse. He blinked with his mouth open.

"Yeah, I think it is," Jesse said as she looked around for any other Cullens that might be there. She  
didn't have to look too far before she noticed another strikingly handsome man walk up to Jade and tell her he was  
leaving.

Jade looked up at the man and gave a sad sort of smile. He returned one back and kissed her head.

Mike walked away with something that sounded like; "Ew, teacher love." just as Jade turned around and  
walked up to Jesse. "Is there something strange about knowing your teachers have lives?" She questioned, holding  
the bag of newly won stuffed animals.

"No, ju-" But Jesse didn't have a chance to explain anything else before Alice was at Jade's side  
with another stuffed animal. "Your turn. Hi, I'm Alice. You must be Jesse." Alice said, looked Jesse up and down  
once then turned and went back to where her other 'siblings' sat, proceeded to bug Edward about something  
inaudible.

Jade smiled at her daughter. "Join me?" She asked Jesse as she moved back to the machine. Her eyes  
landed on Edward and the others.

Edward held his head down. Alice was smiling from ear to ear. "You didn't say anything about her being  
here." He grumbled out.

"I wanted it to be a surprise. Surprise!" She stuck her tongue out and looked at Jasper to see how he  
was faring.

Emmett leaned into Edward, elbowing his brother and whispered so Rosalie couldn't hear.  
"She is cute."

Jade looked at Jesse as she peered into the machine standing up on her toes. She reached into the  
cup of change she had gotten and put some into the machine, trying to earn a Dracula stuffed animal.

Jade raised her eyebrow at the toy she chose. 'Edward.' She thought.

The pale boy raised his eyes to Jade.

'Your girlfriend has some interesting tastes' A smile lifted the corner of her mouth.

Edward frowned at the girlfriend comment. An image of the stuffed animal that Jesse was trying to get  
passed through his head. His brows creased together in confusion. 'Why would anyone want that cheesy little  
doll?' The doll in question looked almost like the Count from Sesame Street. With overly large fangs and a red cape  
with a high collar for added effect. "Stupid movies." He whispered mostly to himself.

Alice and Emmett tilted their heads at him.

"Jesse's going after that Dracula doll." He answered their curious gazes.

"Ugh!" Rosalie huffed and stood up suddenly. She walked over to the race car game and sat down,  
trying her best to ignore her foolish brother.

Emmett laughed at Jesse's expense but followed his girlfriend anyway. "Ah babe, give him a brake."

Jade went ahead and questioned why she went after that particular doll, everyone with their ears, or in  
Edwards case, mind carefully listening in.

"Because ever since I was a little kid I have loved horror movies. My favorites being those that portrayed  
the vampiric side of things. I dont know why, I just always loved them." she responded, reaching her hand in to get  
the doll she just won. "I LOVE them. I have tons of movies. Dracula, Interview with a Vamp, Underworld,  
Queen of the Damned is my favorite though. That is one of the hottest vampires I have ever seen." She chuckled  
as she remembered watching it with her mom as a kid. "I have tons of books too," she said, then congratulated  
Jade yet again on her victory of the machine, this time winning a stuffed bear that looked kind of like Harry Potter.

Emmett's loud laugher filled the room again. 'She'd totally do you!' His thoughts grating loudly against  
Edward's mind. A distinct glare was quickly thrown his way.

 

"You say that as if you know a few vampires personally." Jade smiled at the girl.

Jesse smiled at the thought. "No, I just meant that the way that most people portray vampires, the  
way actors seem to feel the need to play dead when in fact they are playing the UNdead," She said with a particular  
emphasis on the un part of the word. "I like the way Stuart Townsend brings the character to life, rather than the  
boring way people would normally do it. Does that even make sense?" Jesse questioned, looking now directly into  
the eyes of the woman in front of her, she was just about three inches taller than herself.

Jade laughed. "Well Tom Cruse didn't do too bad with Lestat. But the story wasn't about him. It was  
about Louis. But I see what you mean." And the History teacher continued to smile knowingly.

Edward tried not to laugh while the others of his family snickered at Jade's praising of an actors  
interpretation of the vampire persona.

Angela slowly walked up behind the two. "Hey Jesse. You sure you don't want to eat? You're Dr. Pepper  
is getting warm." She looked at Jade with a shy smile. "Hello Mrs. Cullen."

"Angela." Jade nodded at her. "I'm keeping you from your friends aren't I? I won't mind if you want to go  
back. Who wants to be seen with a teacher?" She joked.

"Actually, most of my friends at my old school WERE my teachers oddly enough," Jesse said as she  
motioned to everyone she would be there in a minute, "And I know it wasnt about Lestat per say, I just meant  
that I like the way he played the vampire the best. Not necessarily Lestat, just as he acted as a vampire. Though  
I think I would be more of a Maharette with a little bit of Akasha if I had the choice. Not the blood thirsty kill  
everyone against me part." She said honestly, than thinking to herself how silly that must have made her sound.  
"So who was the other gentleman that was with you?" Jesse questioned, trying to take the conversation off  
the subject of vampires.

"Oh that gentleman, as you so finely put it, is Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He's my husband." And Jade was  
practically beaming.

Edward smiled fondly at the look on his mothers face. He looked to Alice and Jasper. The two looked at  
each other lovingly, a wave of loneliness slowly washing over him.

"Aren't you a little young to be married?" Jesse asked, looking at her teacher. She didn't look over twenty  
five years.

"I'm older then I look." She laughed.

Jesse smiled politely then started talking again, "Well I better be going back over there before they  
think I ditched them." Jesse said as she turned her back away from the table Edward and Alice were at. "Oh and  
could you tell Edward I said bye?" She added as she took a single step backwards toward their table,  
surprising everyone when she managed to not trip. "Bye Alice. It was nice to meet you." she said, smiling at  
Alice then glancing shortly at Edward with a glare before leaving.

Alice laughed at the glare. "See you at school!" She called to the retreating girl.

Jasper looked at Edward, seeing the sour expression on his face. "She doesn't seem to want to stay  
away from you." And he was serious. Jasper was a little worried about his brother and his family.

Edward sighed and finally lifted his head when Jade walked back to their table. "It's not often a teacher gets  
friendly with a student. What are you thinking?"

Jade gave Edward a look. "She's a nice girl." 'Besides. You're the one that decided to feed your curiosity.  
You're strong Edward. You know your limits.' Turning to Jasper, Jade smiled. "Jasper! You. Me. Basketball hoop.  
Now."

A smile tugged on the corner of the blonds lip. "You'll regret that challenge." He stood up and lead them  
to the hoops game.

Jessica saw Jesse finally make her way to their table. "Now she joins us! What did you guys talk about?"  
She was really curious. What on earth could a teacher say that would hold Jesses' interest so much.

"We just talked about movies. You know, she asked why I wanted the Dracula doll and I told her about  
my love for the vampire myths and then we talked about her husband and I came back over here," she stated  
and then set the doll on the table.

Tyler grabbed the doll in an attempt of playing keep away when Jesse wasnt looking and started to  
walk away. "STOP!" Jesse's loud voice yelled when the boy was a few feet away. He froze. "Turn around" she  
said sternly, and he did. "Bring it back," and as he got to her she held out her hand. "I don't mind alot of things,  
but one thing you don't do is touch my stuff without permission," she said as she sat in the seat, suddenly  
smiling again as she looked at Jessica. "So did you do the homework yet for trig?" she questioned.

Jesse suddenly heard another loud laugh coming from the direction of Edwards table. Everyone's head  
turned to look. Jesse expected to see the bigger man of the family to be laughing at a joke someone said. Instead  
she didn't see Emmett at all, but Edward with a huge smile on his face.

"Woah. That is a bit scary. He never laughs like that." Eric looked a little scared.

Edward finally decided to turn his head and look Jesse in the eyes. He stared straight at her with a  
curiosity plan in his eyes.

"She's going to be very interesting. I can't wait until we get to be friends." Alice leaned back in her chair.

Edward tried to ignore the images that Alice was freely giving him. "We should go soon."

Rosalie walked over in a huff. "I was getting bored anyway. Emmett can't beat me at any game here."

"They are all computer games! Now physical games. Put me against you any day and you'll lose, babe."  
Emmett flexed his muscles.

The waitress came back to the table with a tray that held four dishes of ice cream. "Here you go. Enjoy."  
Tracie put the dishes down. "Anything else I can do for you?"

Jesse looked at the waitress, "Can I have a bunch of sprinkles on a vanila ice cream? Like ALOT?" She  
asked with a giant smile. The waitress looked at her smiled and walked away. "So what are the plans for this  
weekend?"

Mike dug into his ice cream.

"We think we might be going down to La Push. But the rain isn't making it easy for us lately so we  
might try that next weekend." Tyler licked his spoon clean.

"Oh I've got a paper due on Monday." Angela's mood deflated. "I can't do anything this weekend."

"Alright we'll have to wait until next weekend then." Jessica sounded a little disappointed.

The following Monday Jesse woke up to a very cold and dark morning. She went through her usual  
morning routine. When she got to school she was there a little early so she waited in the car for a few minutes with  
the heater, finishing up some math homework she didn't finish the night before.

She was startled when Mike, Jessica and a few others called her phone from across the parking lot.  
She looked up, saw them and got out. She looked around stretching for a sec and started to walk toward the tail  
of the truck. She stopped to examine a scratch on her truck, wondering when she got it after waving to Alice.

A screech of tires and gasps. And before she knew it Jesse was on the ground, her head smacking  
against the hard surface of the parking lot covered in ice. Nausea washed over her when she looked at her  
surroundings. A pair of dark gold eyes looked right into hers.

The van groaned as the back of the it wrapped around coming at Jesse again. Edward's hand pushed  
against the frame stopping it from moving. The van lifted onto the side tires. Pulling Jesse from under the van,  
Edward held her close and out of danger of the tires crushing her legs. He let the vehicle down, the windows  
bursting in unison. Edward's should have been afraid that Jesse had seen too much. That his family would be  
exposed to the world for what he just did. But he was more worried about the girl in his arms. Was she conscious,  
or bleeding. He begged any being that would listen to a damned soul that she wasn't bleeding.

"Jesse." He asked urgently. "Are you alright?"

"Wha?" Jesse began to ask in a dazed state, then she looked around, noticing the van, and the  
headache she now had. She lifted her hand to her head and then looked. There was a little blood but it wasn't  
enough for her to be concerned. Slowly she was able to take in her surrondings, finally really NOTICING who had  
just saved her life. "Edwa--wait..." she then realized why she noticed the van. Eyes still focused on Edward,  
"TYLER! I SWEAR IF ANYTHING ON THAT NEW TRUCK IS DAMAGED YOU ARE SOOOO DEAD!" she threatened,  
more worried about her car than herself.

Edward's eyes widened as soon as Jesse started yelling and he immediately set her down and took off,  
heading to the hospital to tell his 'dad' what had just happened.

Edward quickly made his way to his fathers office after making sure Jesse was alright.

Carlisle's eyes went wide and any color that was left in his face vanished. 'Edward-you didn't-' He  
thought, leaning forward across his desk.

"No, no it's not that."

'Of course not. I'm sorry I intertained the thought. Your eyes, of course, I should have known.'  
Carlisle looked relieved after seeing the still gold of his sons eyes.

"She's hurt though, Carlisle, probably not seriously, but-"

"What happened?"

Jesse rubbed her aching head.

"Jesse I am so sorry!" Tyler was over his head with worry for the girl. "I hit a patch of ice. I couldn't  
stop." He paused a moment as a nurse cleaned up a cut next to his eye. "How did you get out of the way?"

Jesse looked at Tyler, "Edward was there...he wasn't and then he was...how did he get over there..."  
she asked, but then gave up when Carlisle came in and started examining her.

"What happened?" He asked in a voice that was almost as captivating to her as Edward's was.

"I have a tough time remembering my name on a normal basis and you want me to tell you something  
that happened twenty minutes ago after knocking the hell out of my head?" Jesse made a face.

Carlisle laughed at the girls atitude. 'You know Edward, if Alice was right, Jade would love this girl.'  
He throught to Edward.

'I think she already does' he responded.

"Jesse? I really am sorry," Tyler said weakly from behind the curtain.

"Seriously, I'm okay. Now stop talking bout it?"

"I'll make this up to you, I promise." He said as she was allowed to leave.

"Thats what you think" She said under her breath, leaving around a corner. She went to the bathroom  
and was on her way to the waiting room to call her mom when she almost ran into Edward, one of his sisters and  
Carlisle. She backed up a bit since they didn't notice and listened for a second.

Rosalie was furious with her brother. "Do you understhand what you did?" Her voice was low and fast.  
Jesse almost couldn't understand what she was saying.

"What did you expect me do to? Just let her-" But Edward was interrupted by Carlisle.

"I think we should talk about this later." He looked at Jesse. She noticed that his eyes were the exact  
same color as Edwards. As were Rosalie's.

Jesse moved around the corner fully. "Can I talk to you?" She asked.

Edward looked at his family one last time before he moved to Jesse's side. "What do you want?" His  
voice was cold.

"Now Edward, what is the purpose of that tone? I just wanted to ask you one question." Jesse stated  
in a smart ass tone.

Edward raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think you should be getting home to rest?" He shifted his weight  
to keep from being too still.

"No! I'm going back to school. ANYWAYS, I saw you by your car when I waved at Alice. How did you get  
over there so fast?"

"Jesse. I was standing near you the whole time." Edward looked into her eyes, willing her to believe  
his way.

"Noo..I saw you by your sister. In fact I think the tall blonde guy was talking to you. You made it over  
to me before the van got to me." she said looking away from his eyes. "I know you weren't with me"

"Look. You don't know what you saw. You hit your head pretty hard on the ground. I was near you the  
whole time. Understand?"

"Nope!" she smiled smugly. "Then how did you stop the van?"

"You think I stopped the van?" He looked at her like she had grown another head. "We got lucky, Jesse.  
Your truck just blocked it." .

"If thats true then...well...then how did I not get hit. I was by the corner of the truck, and that would have  
had to have been where the van hit in order for it to be at the angle it was when I was yelling at Tyler."

Edward let out at a huff of air. "What do you want from me Jesse?" Annoyance evident on his face.

"The truth? Or is that an impossibility for you?" She said in the same tone he had used.

Edward looked away for a moment. "What do you think happened?" He desperately wanted Jesse to  
just give up.

"I thi-HEY! No avoiding questions! I think you stopped the car superman," she started to say while looking  
at her phone. "I'm gona be late for trig!" she said as she bumped into him and took off. "By EDDY!!!!" Jesse yelled  
in a mocking tone as she walked away, looking back long enough to see the funny look on Edwards face. "We WILL  
talk about this later!!!!"

And with that she walked through the door and disappeared.

Jade's phone went off before her class filed in. "Carlisle?"

"She's alright and Edward is doing alright as well. Rosalie is none too happy as you can imagine." Carlisle  
sat at his desk looking through Jesse's head x-rays. "She is extremely clumsy you know."

A smile spread across Mrs. Cullen's face. "Alright. She must have come back to school. I can smell her  
close by. Edward is not going to be happy about that."

Jesse got to school just in time to turn in her Trig homework and got to lunch. She walked in and saw  
Alice standing by the door. "Hey Alice, how are you?" She asked.

"I'm fine. How is your head?" She responded in her cute little childish voice. Alice standing her little  
Pixie like stance was roughly the same height as Jesse, give or take a half inch.

"Ugh, I'm fine." Jesse faked a smile.

"Why didn't you go home? I know I would have. Then again I suppose I wouldn't."

Jesse laughed as Alice contradicted herself, Jasper walked in and stood next to the pale girl. Rosalie and  
Emmett followed, Rosalie deliberately bumped into Jesse as they went to their table. "Your sister does that again  
though your gonna have one less sibling." She laughed, half joking at what she said. "Im kidding. But  
seriously, I'm thinking of going home just to get some more sleep. I'm tired," Jesse yawned then blinked a  
few times, stretching and hitting Edward accidentally as he passed. "Sorry. Anyways Alice, I'm gonna go grab  
something to eat. I'll talk to you later."

After lunch, Jesse went into the biology room to find Edward in his seat. "Hey Edward, you gonna tell me  
the truth yet?" She immediately questioned.

Edward continued to look forward. "Why do you think that there was something more then what really  
happened?"

"Because I know what I saw, and I know you were NOWHERE near me. I wont tell anyone, just tell me  
what the hell is going on," she demanded in a low whisper that was still stern enough or her to get the point across  
that she was not happy with his games.

Edward was very still for a moment. So still he didn't breath, and looked every bit like a statue that was  
carved of stone. He blinked and slowly turned his head to the short girl at his side, finally deciding to take a page  
from his mothers book. "I'm a vampire from the movies you love so very much." He stared straight into her eyes.  
The bell rang for class to end and he laughed as if he just said the biggest joke of all time.

Jesse looked at him and began to smile, but not because she thought he was joking. For some reason  
unknown even to her, she couldnt not smile when she saw him laugh like that. "Fine, don't tell me. I'll find out on  
my own. Just watch." She said and was on her way to gym.

Edward let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "That is the last time I try to act like Jade.  
How the hell does she do that?" He gathered his books and left for his next class.

Walking down the hall he passed Rosalie and smiled at her thoughts as she passed him.

'Fool.' Was her only thought. She wasn't going to forgive him for a long time.

When he walked into History, Jade wasn't at her desk. Sitting in his seat, Edward tried to find his mothers  
mind. Listening for the most familiar ones to him. Rosalie was closest. Her anger still raging. Emmett's next. He was  
wrestling with one of the larger of the boys on the wrestling team. Trying his best not to crush the poor boys bones.  
Emmett hated restraining himself, but Carlisle taught him to see it as another challenge. Jasper was with him,  
calculating all the moves the two made out in his head, predicting the next one. Alice was day dreaming on her own.  
Thoughts of Jasper and herself with the rest of the family on a normal picnic. Edward sighed when he saw Jesse  
there as well. But he couldn't find his mother's thoughts.

Then all to suddenly; 'I'm here Edward. Don't worry.' Jade's thoughts came from nowhere. 'I'll be in class  
in just a second.'

It was times like these that Edward wished he could do what his mother once could, talk back through  
his mind. Assured that his mother was alright, his mind searched out any one that was near Jesse. As he couldn't  
read her own, he could at least watch her through their minds.

Jesse was in her gym class, changed and ready to go when the teacher told Angela and her not to  
dress out.She instructed Angela to stay on the benches with Jesse so that she could keep an eye on her to make  
sure she was okay. Jesse was furious. "I'm at school. I can walk a decently straight line, and I am talking fine. My  
vision is the same as always, why cant I just play the game?" she ranted at Angela.

"Because you shouldn't even be here you freak," Ang responded. "You should have just gone home."

"If I went home then people would treat me worse tomorrow." Jesse argued.

"Oh how I love technology!" Jade huffed when she walked into the room, stacks of papers in her arms.  
"The copy machine broke...again!" The papers made a loud 'thump' when they hit her desk. "Edward. I'm taking  
your place as a student! Get up and teach my class."

Edward raised his eyebrow. "Oh no I've had enough of being you today."

'What?' Was Jade's simple thought. The students looked just as confused. "Go figure I can't dupe my own  
child into trading places with me." But to this the class laughed. 'You ARE going to explain that one to me after  
class.' Jade sat down 'hard' in her chair. "Alright I'm teaching the class from here. Mary!" She pointed to the poor  
girl that had to sit next to Edward. "Please help my son hand out the papers for today's lesson." 'That's for  
'being me' and 'still looking young enough to have classes instead of teach them.' Her thoughts were laced with  
humor.

Jesse sat around on the benches, then laid her head on Angela lap and fell asleep with Angela playing  
with her hair.

Edward was still occasionally checking on Jesse through Angela's mind.

Angela woke Jesse up in enough time to change before class let out.

"Thanks. I didn't even know I fell asleep...if that makes sense. I'll see you later. I'm gonna go home after  
school and go to bed. I'll catch up with everyone in the morning." And with that she said bye and walked to her  
next class, a little slower than usual.

Jade sat on Edward's desk and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Alright do you want to explain your  
comment?"

Edward really didn't. But he told her about the conversations. The fact that Jesse refused to believe that  
he was standing next to her and the comment he made to her about being a vampire. "How on earth can you be  
nonchalant when you make jokes like that? People could start thinking-" But he was interrupted by Jade's sudden  
laugh.

"Did you seriously say that?" And it seemed like she wouldn't stop laughing.

"Jade."

"Hah. I'm sorry." She breathed out. 'The more ridiculous you make it sound...the more ridiculous they  
feel it is to dwell on the subject. Vampires in this day in age? Really?' Jade smiled.

The two began to smell Jesse and Edward immediately left, mumbling on his way out. "Later."He passed  
Jesse on the way out the door, but ignored her hello.

She walked into the class and looked at Jade. "And how are you today?" Jesse asked as she sat down  
in her desk.

Jade made her way to her desk and pulled out the assignment for that class. "I'm doing quite well  
actually. I got to sit in my chair all day and have Edward do all the work." She smiled broadly.

Jesse laughed. 'I knew I liked this class.' She thought.

Edward sat in his seat next to Emmett in Spanish.

'You've got it hard don't you?' His brother thought with amusement.

"What do you mean?" Edward whispered so low no one could have heard it even if they tried but Emmett.

'Well, you can't seem to stay away from that girl.'

"She's just interesting. She doesn't react the way she should around any of us. And I can't hear anything  
from her. It almost drives me insane."

'Haha!' Emmett laughed in his head.

"Bite me."

After class ended, Jesse said bye to Jade in a hurry and almost ran to the parking lot. She finally got  
there just in time to stand behind Edwards car so he couldn't back up without hitting her. She saw Jade on her way  
out, the rest of the siblings in Rosalie's car waiting for their motherly figure, watching.

Edward back up swiftly, maybe only 3 feet, but Jesse didn't move. The car was now maybe six inches in  
front of her. Finally Edward gave up and rolled down his window. "What?" He questioned.

"Nothing, just wanted to see how long it would take you to crack. We'll talk tomorrow" she said smiling as  
innocently as she could at the moment, muttering under her breath not thinking he could hear "assuming you don't  
kill me in my sleep tonight."

The entire family looked at Edward, each of them trying their best not to laugh. Excluding Rosalie, who  
was trying to resist the urge to strangle her brother and the girl.

Edward looked at his mother. "Alright. You are going to tell me what you did about your thirst. Carlisle  
doesn't know. I looked. And where were you when you were late? Your voice didn't come from the copy room."

"Oh can't I have a few secrets?"

"No. No you can't. Not like this one."

"Alright. I can tell you where I was but I can't tell you what I did about the thirst yet. I swear I will. But I  
have to give you time." Jade looked out the window.

"Time for what?" He almost growled as he speed down the road.

Jade closed her eyes. "My father is a vampire. Did you know? No I suppose you wouldn't. Have I ever told  
you about my family?"

Edward looked at his mother with the most confused expression he'd had in weeks. "What?"

Jade ignored her son's questioning glare and told about her family and the powers they held.

Edward knew some of the things she could do. Blocking out his mind was one. And once she could talk to  
all of them through her thoughts. But it quickly grew out of control and she stopped.

He also knew that she tented to stow away for a time every so often in her garden to be alone. And now  
he knew why. She was trying to gain control over her former powers.

"Witches..." He mumbled. "Well I suppose....we're vampires...and the Quileutes are werewolves...Why not  
witches? What does this have to do with your father?" Edward was getting closer to the house. He figured Jade  
didn't want anyone to hear this right now, so he took a detour.

"He's found me. A long time ago we had a very bad falling out. The Coven sent a vampire after me, he  
had no clue, but you can guess the rest. I've been hiding from them and him since. But if he finds me and tells the  
Coven... I-We could be in trouble." Jade hated involving her family. But she knew that not one of them would allow  
her to exclude herself from them. And she would miss Carlisle too much if she left. "I don't know when he'll  
be coming....but if I can convince him to not tell the Coven....Well Carlisle may have to teach me some patience..."  
She smiled then.

Edward continued to ask questions and Jade indulged him with answers. By the time they were done it was  
getting dark. With a sigh he dropped Jade back at home and went on a run, his path taking him back to Forks.

Jade opened the front door to see Carlisle waiting for her. "Did the hospital not need you tonight?"

"No. Alice told me that you would need to speak with me." He smiled at Jade.

"Really? Even I didn't know that. She's getting better." Jade sighed and walked up to the blond vampire,  
giving him a hug. "You remember my father don't you?"

"Mom, I'm going to bed. I finished my homework and dinner is on the stove. Night." Jesse said as her mom  
walked in the door. She had called and explained things to her mom before hand so that she could just go to bed  
and not deal with her mother worrying.

The next morning she woke up to a nice day outside. There was still alot of cloud cover but the rain had  
lifted and it was a bit warmer. She decided on a black tanktop under a black fitted leather jacket and black shorts  
over dark purple tights. She brushed her teeth, took her shower, got dressed and did her hair, and yet still managed  
to have extra time so she ate and did her make-up. After this she decided she would go to school and just hang out  
with people. She was careful though, not to fall on the way to the truck an when she got to school she made sure  
Tyler was parked before she got out and walked over to where she was meeting her friends. Unfortunately for  
Edward, she saw his car parked and him still in it so she went up and sat on the back of it, waiting. When Jade got  
out of it and walked passed, she waived hi.

After about five minutes of the two of them being stubborn she finally said "I can wait here all day! I'll just  
tell the school I didn't feel good after yesterday and so I went home."

Edwards siblings watched from across the lot, at a table.

Edward opened the car and slammed the door. "What do you want?!" He growled at the girl, keeping his  
distance from her. "There is nothing to talk about!" He didn't understand this girl at all.

"I think there is. There's the weather, what we are doing in Biology today...plenty to talk about." She said  
staring him in the eyes. "But seriously, I have one question, will you answer a single question for me? I promise it will  
just be one, simple question," she pleaded, staring in his eyes. She was holding her breath waiting for his answer,  
not realizing it. She was still sitting on the trunk of the car actually hitting him at a higher mark than she did when  
she stood up considering her height.

Alice smiled. 'It's alright. She can ask what she wants right now.' She assured the bronze haired teen.

Edward closed his eyes. "Alright." He said, the tone in his voice growing calmer.

Jaspers thoughts made their way slowly to his mind. 'Be careful.' And he was on edge. Edward knew that  
his brother still didn't know what to make of this new girl that seemed to attach herself to his family.

"I understand that you don't want to tell me what EXACTLY happened yesterday, okay? My question is  
why?" She asked, honestly curious as to why he wouldn't just tell her how he managed to get over there. Then she  
started second-guessing herself. DId she see him by the car? Was he standing closer than she thought? She thought  
she saw him with the others but maybe not... She waited again, slowly exhaling, still locked on his eyes.

Edward breathed. He was so tired of this. "Can't you just say thank you and get over it? No matter how  
man times I tell you the truth...you don't believe me. I was near you when I saw the car. I pushed you out of the way.  
End of story. Now. If you don't mind. We are going to be late." He held out his hand for her to head towards the  
school. Edward had to admit. She was determined. But right now he hated it, and playing Jade again was something  
he was not good at.

"What if I tell you that I promise I will try to believe you? Please just tell me how you got there so quickly.  
Even Jessica and Angela and everyone else said you were not near me when it happened. How did you get there?  
Radio active spider? Kryptonite have the opposite effect on you? Fall in a vat of toxic waste? Just tell me." She was  
still trying to beg him to tell her. It obviously wasnt going to work, but to her it was worth a shot. "Can we talk about  
it later at least?" she asked after a long silence, getting off the back of the car and standing next to him.

The teenage boy stood still. 'I can't very well tell her I'm a vampire again. Then again, Jade might suggest  
just that. But then she'll just get angry with me and continue to hound me.' Then her suggestions hit him. "Super  
heroes and villains?" Edwards eyes brows came together and raised into his forehead.

Alice laughed in his head. He hated her just this second.

Lunch was interesting. She waived at Alice, then sat in her chair. She couldn't help but notice that Edward  
was staring, though not necessarily at her. More like through her. Alice would glance over occasionally, and Rosalie  
would throw glances her way that made her think she was going to be murdered in two seconds. Eventually Jesse  
joined in the conversations and laughter with the rest of the table.

Later on in Biology, it turned out that they were testing for blood types. Jesse was okay with blood and all,  
as long as it wasn't hers, but since that wasnt the case....She asked the teacher to be excused and was released to  
go to the lunch tables in the courtyard so she could work on her other class work.

She walked over to the table and saw that Edward was sitting at one near the edge. "Hi." She said as she  
passed him and kept walking to a table facing away from him all the way on the other side of the courtyard.

'What is she doing out of class?' He wondered. Edward stood up and, with out Jesse seeing, moved  
quicker then he should have to her side, and leaned into her ear. "What are you doing?"

Jesse jumped and almost fell out of her chair. "Well, at the moment sitting. I'm about to start my English  
stuff. What about you?" She questioned without looking at him. She got out her work and started on it.

Edward smiled, trying hard not to laugh. "I meant, what are you doing out of class?" He sat on the other  
side of the bench, the wind blowing her smell away from him. He could breath freely, even if he didn't really have to.  
"And I have a theory going that it's healthy to skip class sometimes." He answered her, a smile still on his face.

"Yeah, but I think all the school you miss when the weather is good to go hiking is more than enouh for  
that theory. I don't like the smell of blood. Makes me sick, so I convinced Mr. Brown to let me leave." She said. She  
wasn't about to tell him that the smell of blood also made her orally expell the entire contents of her  
stomache.

Edward shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah but thats with my family. Sorry about the blood thing." Edward  
hesitated a moment before he finally decided to explain a few things...."I want to know something." He asked her.

Jesse slightly sighed. "Only if I get answers from you. I get as many questions as you ask," She said,  
finally looking up at him and noticing his eyes were yet again a different color.

"Why aren't you bothered by the fact your father could be coming after you and your mother?" He  
noticed her looking at his eyes again. Normal humans would look away. He lowered his head the slightest, hiding  
the color of his eyes.

"You have really pretty eyes," she said, knowing he has probably heard that several times before. "And  
because I'm tired of being scared. I hate running. We have been runnin for as long as I can remember from him.  
Sometimes mom lets him back in and he is cool for a few days, but I don't think he will come looking for a while.  
At least a few more weeks." She smiled and looked down, closing her English book but keepin the page marked so  
she could find it easier next time.

"Thanks. I guess." Now he knew why she didn't shy away from him like she should. Even being the ultimate  
form of danger in a living vessel, this girl was almost used to it. He didn't quit know what to say about that either.  
"Alright. You get a question now." He was starting to regret this, but he did silently agree.

Jesse looked directly at him, locking onto his eyes, trying not to get lost in them. "Why aren't you in class?  
And I mean really." She said stubbornly.

Edward leaned back a little, the wind rustling his his hair. "The only thing we are going to learn in class  
today is what blood type you have. I already know mine, and how to go about getting it." He almost groaned at the  
pun. He was hanging around Jade way too much.

"What?" she asked, seeing him hold back a chuckle. "It's not like your a vampire." and she watched his  
face for a reaction at her joke.

His expression fell quickly. "Not that funny." He looked at the woods that were close to the school. She  
didn't look like she knew the truth. If she did, she would have ran screaming for the hills long ago.

"How was that not funny? Unless you are one. But I haven't seen any teeth poking out. However that  
would explain why you are so friggin white. And you have blue-tinted lips." She said as she looked over his face.  
"So you, you get one mre question, cause I wanna ask another question. Okay?"

Jade graded papers in her seat. Her planing period devoted to getting ahead in the work she missed.  
She looked out the window a moment to watch the trees. Yes she watched trees. She used to be able to make  
them grow. But now she just watches them. Sad she knows. When she looked up she saw Edward and Jesse  
sitting at one of the table outside. 'Edward what are you doing?' She asked him.

Edward looked back towards the school. "Alright." He said mainly for his mothers benefit, assuring her that  
it was okay.

Edward had a pretty good guess on the subject of her next question. "I just remembered. My mother  
needed me to come by her room. We'll have to continue this later." With out letting her interject, Edward stood  
up, nodded his head and left for Jade's room.

Jesse just watched him leave, watching how elegantly he walked away, not really mad that he left. She  
knew she was getting annoying with the questions about that crash, but if he would just give her a straight answer,  
she would leave him alone. Well, about that at least. She decided to put away her things and go to the gym early.  
Just to get it over with.

The next day was sunny. And the rest of the week was rather uneventful. Jesse sat at lunch on Friday  
looking at the empty Cullen table.

"So!" Jessica said rather loudly. "Are we still gonna try for La Push?" She sat down next to Jesse with  
her small salad.

"Yeah. I hear that the weather might actually be alright this time." Mike pipped in. "You wanna go Jesse?"  
He bit into a red apple, a line of juice falling down his chin.

"Watch it Mike. You're drooling." Eric said, handing him a napkin.

"Shut up." Mikes face grew red. "So how about it Jesse?"

Jesse "La Push? Who could say no to a beach with a name like that?"

Tyler smiled. "Alright! So want us to pick you up?"

Angela raised and eyebrow. "I think Mike should drive....not you."

"Ow. That hurt." Tyler clutched his chest. "Right there." But everyone laughed.

Angela looked at Jesse and her lack of food. "You alright? You seem down."

"Nah, I'm fine," she said but noticed that no one looked convinced, so she changed her expression.  
"That Edward guy I sit next to has my BIO notes and I haven't seen him all week. Just mad at him. SO! What time  
shall I meet you guys and where?" she said with a smile that said 'drop it'.

Mike looked down. "I thought we might all car pool. I've got a van and a carrying trailer. But, if you really  
want to meet us there?"

"I meant did you want me to meet you at a store or a house. Angela knows where I live, just have her  
show you how to get there. What time will you be there?"

"Alright. Jessica can meet us at the shop. I'm live like a few buildings down from Mike. And we can  
pick-we're so gonna need another car. You think we can use your truck Jesse?" Angela ticked off things on her  
fingers, bitting her bottom lip.

"Yeah sure, no problem. I'll just follow you guys. Just don't drive too slow or i'll hit you....then again it  
would make us even..." and she started laughing at the look on their faces

Tyler's mouth gaped open. "Oh come on!" But he was laughing anyway.

Jessica took a sip of water. "Alright. We should all met at Mike's shop then. Say....maybe 2 o'clock?"  
She twisted her hair in her fingers.

"Sounds good to me," Jesse responded just as the bell rang.

The next day found the group of kids all meeting at the the shop Mike's parents owned.

"See! What did I tell you? The weather is great!" Mike was all smiles. The sun was out and it was actually  
warm enough to go surfing.

"Dude...It's not like you made the weather like this. Chill." Tyler smacked him over the head.

Jessica climbed out of her car. "Boys." She said, shaking her head.

Jesse showed up 10 minutes late, "Sorry!!" she said, pulling up but not getting out of the car since they  
were about to get out of the car anyways. "So, what car am I following?"

Mike came to the window. "Mine. Who do you want riding with you?" He smiled at Jesse.

Jessica laughed. "Are you crazy of course she'll want use with her!" She pointed to Angela and herself.  
"Like we could be stuck in a van with you guys the whole way there."

Jesse laughed. "Yeah, I wouldn't do that to you girls anyways. So is anyone else going or are we all here?"

"Mike, Tyler, Jessica, Angela, you and me." Eric pointed out everyone. "Yep thats it! Mike's got all the gear  
in the van."

"Well then let's go!"

And with that, the girls got in the truck and they started talking immediately."So do you girls have your  
dates to the ladies choice dance next saturday?" Jesse questioned as she began to ride Tyler's bumper, trying to get  
him to drive faster.

Angela sighed choosing not to say anything.

Jessica bit her lip. "Actually I was going to ask you. Is it okay if I ask Mike to the dance?"

"Why would I care? He isn't the one I'm interested in. Besides, I'm sure he'd be excited to go with you."  
Jesse said, turning on the radio for background noise.

"You really think so?" She was happy. "What about you Angela?" Jessica pressed.

Angela swallowed. "I want to ask Eric....but I don't think he'll say yes..." She folded her hands in her lap.

"Are you kidding?" Jesse said as she tapped her brake to keep from actually hitting Tyler. "He is almost in  
love with you. He's always staring and he talks about you in class, He'll say, yes. Trust me," She stated as she  
grabbed around in her bag for some beef jerkey.

Angela's eyes almost bugged out of her head. "Are you serious?!"

Jessica smiled. "Of course! All ya gotta do is ask."

The drive was short and the two cars pulled up to the beach.

Tyler was the first one out of the van. He took a deep breath and let it out loudly. "Ahhh. Smell that air!"

Jesse got out and did the same thing "Yeah, don't ya just love the smell of animal poop, rotting fish, and  
dead trees?" she said joking around. "So who want's to unload my truck?"

Angela, stirred with energy from the information Jesse gave her, held up both arms. "Get to work boys!"  
And she laughed.

Eric smiled at her. "Aw come on Angie!" Instead of helping unload he rand to her and lifted her up, heading  
to the edge of the water. "You should help too!"

Mike and Tyler laughed as they brought down the gear from both of the cars. Tyler looked up at three  
tanned boys already in the water. "Hey are the from the res? That Quileute one?"

"Who?" Jesse asked, looking out to the water. "...are they?" she finished her question.

Mike leaned against Jesse's truck. "We're on Quileute land. They live up on the reservation not too far  
from here. I've seen them a few times. I think the one in the middle with the longer hair is Jacob. He's mad crazy on  
a surf board, and builds his own cars."

The boys hit land and walked up to greet the group. "Hey. How's it going?" Jacob and Mike exchanged a  
hand shake. "I have seen you guys up her for a long time."

Mike laughed. "Well with the weather, come on. This is Jesse. She just moved here."

Jacob nodded to the short girl. "Hi. Welcome to La Push. I'm Jacob Black. This is Quil and Embry." He  
pointed to the boys behind him.

Quil looked at Embry with a knowing smile on his face. "Cute." He said.

Eric came back up to the cars, tapped Quil on the should and said; "Sorry man, she's got her eyes set  
on Edward Cullen." He laughed and went to help with unpacking.

"Riiiight, cause thats my perfect guy." she said with a sarcastic tone, trying to convince them that she  
wasn't falling for the guy she barely knew. "I was gonna invite him here but he wasn't in Biology." she said, moving  
out of the way of the guys.

"Well either way, he wouldn't have been allowed to come here." Jacob and the other two stated to head  
up the hills of the wooded beach.

"What do you mean allowed?" she asked, following in curiosity.

Jacob and his friends continued to walk, stepping over random dead trees and rocks.

It was Embry that explained what Jacob meant. "Well, our ancestors go way back."

Jacob laughed. "Yeah. See our people have these legends. From where we came from. The Quileute's-"

"That's us." Quil pointed out.

"-claim to be descended from wolves. Then there is the cold ones. " His voice dropped a little lower.

"The cold ones?" Jesse giggled. "What do you mean cold ones?" She asked, grabbing ahold of Jacob as  
she lost footing and almost fell face first on a rock.

Jacob held onto her arm and laughed. "Watch out. We can't have you getting hurt. "We've got some  
stories about the cold ones that are as old as our origins, and some recent ones too. The cold ones are natural  
enemies of the wolf-"

Embry imparted his historical wisdom. "Well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our  
ancestors."

"You would call them were wolves." Jacob added. "According to the legend, my own great-grandfather  
knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land." He rolled his eyes.

"You don't believe in the stories?" Jesse asked, noticing him rolling his eyes.

"Well it's all a bunch of superstitious stuff really." Jacob slowed down and looked at Jesse. Quil and  
Embry moved past the two and walked up the hill. "I mean in my great-grandfather's time they said they met a small  
family of the cold ones. They said they were different from the ones of legend so he made a truce with them. If  
they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale-faces." He winked at Jesse.

"Wouldn't the cold ones technically be called the pale-faces? And how can you expose their identity to  
them? Thats not a very well thought out treaty." Jesse said, trying to be funny.

Jacob laughed. "No no. A long time ago everyone that wasn't Native was called a pale face. And besides,  
they say that the Cullens are the same ones from back then. My great-grandfather calls them blood drinkers. You'd  
call them vampires."

Jesse paused for a second, though not long enough for Jacob to notice, then started again "Vampires?  
Seriously? Your grandfather believes in vampires?" she asked in a somewhat mocking tone. "And Wearwolves....wow.  
That's some family legend." She finished. "So do you buy into any o this at all?" She asked, not wanting to look into  
his eyes and reaveal that her over-skepticism was to mask that she sort of bought into it.

Jacob looked at her seriously a moment. Jesse almost started to believe he did, right before he burst out  
laughing. "Nah. I think it's just a bunch of scary stories to feed us kids so we act straight. It would be pretty cool  
though. Werewolves and that."

It was about this time that Mike rounded the corner of the hills. "Jesse! We're getting ready to leave. It's  
about to rain." He looked at the two standing together, he looked jealous.

"You sure he's not your boyfriend?" Jacob smiled.

"No, I think he's getting with Jessica. They are really cute together." She said genuinely. "Besides, I'm not  
interested in any of those guys. They are all just good friends. Anyways, I guess I should head back to the truck  
before they kill it." She hugged him, said goodbye, and started running back to her truck as it started to rain.  
She was doing good too, until she tripped by her truck and gave herself a bruise on her cheek.

The group of kids that stared at Jesse all held their tongue....for a total of three seconds and then they  
busted out laughing.

"I...hate...you...all..."she said before starting to laugh herself. "Ahhh...oh well. It's not a real trip unless  
someone get's injured anyways. So! Shall we head back before it gets impossible for me to drive?"

Angela walked up closer to Jesse. "You alright?" She smiled.

"Yeah." Jesse said as they headed out.

Over the weekend Jesse got a little curious and decided to look up the old Quileute legend of the  
'cold ones.' This of course just made her more curious and she had a whole new batch of questions for Edward,  
although she wasnt exactly sure how to ask them.

Jade stood in front of a willow tree, her finger tips touching the bark on it's trunk. Her gold eyes closed.  
The energy that flowed through the tree pulsed in her hands, the dead and yellowed leaves began to slowly change  
their color. The light green gradually showing through and the crumpled limbs flatten and throw thicker.

"Jade." Carlisle stood a good five feet behind his wife. While she was getting better at controlling her  
powers, she was still having trouble. In all likely hood the roots of the willow tree could very well reach out from the  
ground and try to drag him under. It had happened once. He didn't want it to happen again.

Jade opened her eyes, the silver of her magic overpowering the gold of her vampires blood. Slowly she  
let the energy die down. The tree gave a small groan. Jade narrowed her eyes and the trunk split, the crack  
starting from the middle and traveling straight up and through the branches, separating completely in two.

Carlisle stood as still as he could, a small frown on his face.

Jade closed her eyes and opened them again, the darker shade of gold flashed over silver. "Something  
wrong?"

Carlisle, knowing it was safe now that Jade talked, stood by her side. "What happened? When you felt  
what Edward does towards Jesse." He turned her around and looked her in the eyes.

Jade smiled at Carlisle sadly. "I'm sorry. But until Edward figures out what he wants. I can't tell you. If he  
hears it....It would change his view completely. So please, I know I'm annoying beyond what you wished for but  
please. Be patient with me again."

The blond vampire smiled and nodded. "I understand. And your not annoying. Childish at times. But who  
wouldn't love that?"

"Really, I wonder sometimes why you actually married me." Jade grabbed Carlisle's hand and led them  
back into the house.

"What about the tree?" He pointed to the broken willow.

Jade stopped and looked at the poor tree for a second. "I'll fix it tomorrow after school." She scowled and  
dragged the blond up stairs.

The car ride to school was silent. Jade reclined in the Volvo, her foot tapping to the music that Edward  
played on his radio.

"Jade." Edward finally said, turning into the parking lot. His eyes looked around for Jesse's truck.

"Yes, Edward?" She asked, eyes closed.

"You need to drive yourself to school. Carlisle bought you your own car." His voice was dead pan.

"And deprive myself of your wonderful conversations in the morning?" The car parked and Jade got out of  
the car. "And I do believe your girlfriend is waiting."

"She's not my girlfriend." He sighed and got out of the car.

Jesse watched from her truck, across the lot, deciding not to bug Edward this early with questions.  
Especially since she didn't even know what she wanted to ask exactly or how; so instead she just sat in her car,  
waited until she THOUGHT Edward was gone, then got out of the car and proceeded towards the doors for the  
cafeteria since it wasn't time for school yet. Hell, it was still too early to go sit and wait for class to start. There,  
just inside the doors, at their usual table, were the Cullens. Jesse nodded at Alice, then went and sat at her own  
table, deciding to read on a book rather than join the rest of her friends in talking about the weekend. After all,  
why did she need a recap? She was there afterall.

She sat there until it was time to go to school. The day was uneventful until lunch when the subject of the  
dance came up.

"Hey Jesse, you wanna come to Port Angeles with Jessica and I to look for dresses for the dance?"  
Angela asked.

"Umm...yeah, sure. I wanted to check out a bookstore anyways. The options here are so limited and I'm  
almost done with the one I have. I need the next one for the series," Jesse responded.

"So who are you gonna go with?" Mike asked, glancing swiftly in Edwards direction, then looking back at  
her.

"I'm not going to the dance," Jesse said, not noticing him glance away.

"Why not?" Angela asked.

"I don't do so well....in...SOCIAL events....so to speak. I mean come on, look at my cheek," she joked,  
pointing at her cheek.

"Well, you should still come help us pick out dresses. We could use a second opinion anyways." Angela  
said, hoping that she would convince Jesse to go.

Tyler bit his lip. "Would you go if I asked you to the date?" His question was indirect. It was Ladies Choice  
after all.

Mike almost glared. But he tried to hide it due to the fact that Jessica asked him to the dance the other  
day.

Edward looked up from his table after hearing this. He didn't really know why but it pissed him off. Tyler  
was going to try and get her to ask him to the dance. Even after what happened with the crash. But he quickly  
digressed. Who was he to think something like that. What did he care. Besides. He was a vampire. A natural  
predator with humans being the natural pray. He was danger embodied.

"No. I don't do dances. Besides, I'm...busy. Sorry, but I have plans for Saturday night," She said, looking  
away from Edward and the table of her friends.

Tyler looked disappointed. "Oh. Well alright then." 'Bet she just doesn't want to come with me. She's rather  
go with that damn Cullen.' He thought.

Edward tilted his head to the side. He heard the boys thoughts and almost wanted to see if they were true.  
He'd have to find out what her 'plans' for Friday were.

"So when should we go shopping?" Angela asked, taking a bite of her pizza.

"We should today after school. The good ones might get taken if we go any later." Jessica offered. "You  
think your mom will let you come Jesse?"

"Yeah, without a doubt. I'll text her now, where are we going again?" Jesse asked as she opened up her  
sidekick, and powered it on.

"Port Angeles." Angela offered.

"Thanks," Jesse smiled as she typed it in and sent it to her mom. Almost as soon as the message was  
sent, she got a new one. "She just said try not to get hurt and have fun. I guess that's taken care of. So whose car  
are we taking?"

Jessica looked excited now. "We're gonna take mine. I picked Ang up today so we can follow you home  
and then go."

"Sounds good to me!" Jesse said just as the lunch bell rang. "And now I have to go deal with a PMSing  
girl."

"You sit next to Edward next period I thought you said." Angela asked a little confused.

"My point exactly," Jesse responded and left the cafeteria.

A barking laugh was heard in the direction of the Cullen table. Emmett was doubled over and Alice held a  
huge smile on her face. Edward however looked as if he was the butt end of a joke.

"I like her." Edwards brother managed to say between breathes.

Ignoring his family, Edward made his way to Biology and sat down before Jesse even got there. When she  
finally did, he smiled at her. "Hi."

"Hey. How was your weekend?" Jesse asked. "Do anything fun?" She put bunny ears around the 'fun' part,  
sounding sarcastic. "The rain and thunder kept me in all weekend." She said with a disappointed look.

"Yeah I did. My family and I played baseball and football. You should see Alice. She's one hell of a pitcher.  
"He smiled, all of his white teeth showing brightly.

"Yeah? I used to love to play football and stuff. Especially in this weather. But then mom took me out of  
them," She said, looking at him directly, showing the side of her face with the bruise on it for the first time to him.

Edward raised his eyebrow. "What did you do to your face? Have an argument with gravity?"

"Haha! Your a comical genious! I fell on some rocks and hit my truck," Jesse was annoyed. "So, are you  
going to the dance on friday?" she asked, trying to make cenversation.

Edward thought for all of a second. "I don't do so well...in...SOCIAL events so to speak." He said mocking  
her words from before. He wondered for a moment at what point Jade had taken up permanent residents in his brain.

"How did you-what-were you-....nevermind," Jesse was confused as to how he could have possibly heard  
that. "So what are you going to do then? Just stay home and watch TV?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I haven't a clue. I might go out. I might stay in. I might even see if the rest of my family  
want to go hiking again." He began to jot down a few notes to pretend he was listening to Mr. Brown. "What where  
you doing to do?"

"Nothing. Just sit around the house, maybe go shopping so no one can come by the house and force me  
to go. I have no idea." She said, also pretending to take notes. She even went as far as to draw an almost perfect  
sketch of whatever bacteria was on the board.

"Ah, so you really don't have plans to for Saturday. But aren't dances are supposed to be one of  
these....life event things. Why don't you want to go?" He left his pencil on the paper.

"I don't like people? Does that count as an answer?"

Edward tiled his head down and looked at her. The smile on his face, lifted the left side of his lips. "Not  
really no." Jesse had to swallow and look away for second. The bell rang, and Edward got out of his seat, leaving  
the poor girl just a bit speechless.

Jade pulled out a list of people the class was allowed to do their reports on. "Alright. You get to do  
research papers. I've got a starter lift for anyone that doesn't quite know who they want to do. Anyone from  
Napoleon, Marie Antoinette, Judy Davis, Attila the Hun, Vlad Dracul, Casanova, Frank Sinatra, and yes.....even the  
Jonas Brothers." She gave a small shake of her head as a few girls in the back giggled while some of the boys  
made groaning noises. 'Oh Edward, why don't you pick Dracula? It would be great!' She laughed in her mind.

Edward rolled his eyes and frowned at her. But that didn't stop her from smiling.

"Sign up on this sheet of paper and if you want to do someone else, check with me." Putting the paper  
down on the empty desk in front of her, Jade made her way to her own desk. 'So, any plans for Saturday night then?'  
Her tone was almost hopeful.

Jesse went through gym blankly, not really paying attention to what was going on around her. When she  
made it to history and found out what the assignent was, she immediately decided on one of her favorite 'vampires'  
ever. Dracula. "So who won baseball? Edward didn't say, he just said you played." Jesse tried to make conversation  
with Jade.

Jade looked up at Jesse. "Jasper did. He had more home runs then the others. Carlisle and Edward tied  
for second and then Rose with only one less. It was a close game. It would be nice if you could join us for a game  
one day." And she smiled knowingly.

Edward raised his head up in Spanish class. He heard Jade's thoughts. 'No it very well wouldn't be.' But  
he couldn't really do anything to stop his mother from playing around like she always did.

Jade looked at the choice Jesse made. "I knew you would pick him. Just make sure you actually do the  
report on Vlad and not just the myths. No mater how fun they are." 'Ah blood and gore. Don't we love it.' She just  
loved tormenting Edward.

"I don't know what's worse. That Jade almost lays the clues about us out there sometimes or that the  
humans haven't picked up on them yet." Edward whispered to Emmett too quietly for any human's ears to pick up.

Emmett just laughed. The class didn't even bother to look at him. They all knew the Cullens were crazy.  
Nothing new there.

"By the way, I think I slightly dislike your son," Jesse said teasing Jade a little.

"So does half the school. Why may I ask, being a parent and a teacher, do you dislike him?"

Jade allowed Edward to hear her thoughts, feeding him the conversation.

"Because he is being a stubborn ass," she let the word slip, figuring that Jade was one of those teachers  
that wouldn't care. "Like the last time I asked him about the crash, he said you guys were vampires and then I  
laughed and he walked away. That and he has more mood swings than a pregnant woman who is Skitzophrantic  
and bipolar," she said all in one breath and a little fast. "But I LOVE Alice. She's great." and with that she smiled.

Jade actually bit down on her lip. And she finally understood why Edward had made the crack about being  
her for a day. "He's seventeen. Granted an awkward seventeen." Jade said, looking away, knowing full well what  
she meant by that. "It's not often a girl, or anyone for that mater will talk to him as much as you have. And Alice  
would appreciate you saying that about her. She likes you a lot." 'Even if Edward won't let her get near you yet.'  
she finished in her thoughts. "Oh! Word though the great vine is that you and a few of your friends are going dress  
shopping. Get used to it, you are still a new hot topic." she explained before Jesse had the chance to ask who she  
heard it from.

"Woopie!," Jesse replied sarcastically. "Yeah, they are going to the dance. I'm not. I'm going to tell them  
which dresses make them look good and which ones make them look like giant walking pepto-bismol cans, cause  
god know they are going to pick at least one pick dress to try on. Then I am going to go to a bookstore. Do you  
know any good ones over in that area that will have some books over the 'original Dracula?'" she asked, putting  
quotes around the last part, just as the bell rang.

Jade laughed. "Meet my by Edward's car after school really quick. I've got two." she said, gathering up  
all of her paper work.

"Okay. I'll meet you there in a minute. I have to go get something out of my locker. I hope Edward  
doesn't get upset again though." and with that she was out the door. She went to her locker, dodged Tyler and  
Mike and made it to Edwards car before Angela and Jessica got to Angela's car.

"What is she doing here?" Rosalie ground out between her teeth as she saw Jesse walk up.

"Calm down Rose. I'm just giving her instruction on how to get to the book stores in Port Angeles." she  
pulled out the paper she had written on after Jesse left her class room.

Alice smiled. "Hi Jesse. I'm a bit disappointed that you aren't going to the dance. I could make you the  
cutest dress. And there wouldn't be a shred of pink on it." she leaned against Jasper.

"Yo Jesse. I'm Emmett. Jade's better son." he extended his hand with a glinting wide smile.

"You would be the better son if you did your homework. Why can't you be more like Jasper and Edward!  
Why did I do to deserve you!!" Jade yelled out dramatically and everyone but Rose and Edward laughed.

"Hey Emmett. Thanks Alice, I would go but...I don't like people, hence why I'm not aloud to play sports  
anymore. That and I don't do so well with the lack of balance thing. How did you know I hate pink?" she caught on  
to what Alice said about that and questioned, not remembering saying anything abobut it to her.

"Jade told me." she smiled brightly. "Oh this is Jasper. He's a bit shy. But He's the best." she said  
snickering at Emmett.

Jasper merely lowered his head in a greeting.

Rosalie had already gone to her car and waited for the others to get in. So no one even bother to  
introduce her.

"Alright here are the two stores. One's a small Barns N' Noble and the other is called Pete's Papers.  
Funny little shop on the corner of 5th but he's a nice man and they have some really good books. Mention me  
and he might give you a discount." Jade smiled. "Alright you have fun dress shopping." she said, knowing for  
some reason that Jesse wouldn't.

"Oh yeah! Cause there's nothing more fun than watching girls try on a bunch of dresses that they  
probably arent ever going to wear again, and it will sit in the closet for years and then sometime in the future they  
will look at it and go 'what the hell was I thinking?' I can't think of anything more fun than that. I have one more  
quick question if I may," Jesse said, looking directly at Edward, the rest of them leaving. "Whose the Bi-lovely blonde  
in the other car?" Jesse caught herself. "She doesn't seem to like me much which doesn't make any sense because  
I have never even said two words to her." she stood there and waited for his response.

Edward looked from his sister to Jesse. "That's my sister Rosalie. You can just ignore her. I always do."

Jade shook her head. "Your friends are waiting. And we've got to head out to start our hike soon. Carlisle  
might shun me for all of two second if we are late again. And I honestly couldn't stand that." she said truthfully.

"Your right. I will see you all tomorrow then?" Jesse smiled and then left, putting the paper Jade gave her  
in her pocket. She got to her truck and saw Jessica and Angela standing there with smiles on their faces. "What?"  
She asked.

"Why were you talking to the Cullens?" Jessica inquired, following Jesse to the driver-side door.

"I was selling my soul to the devil." she laughed. "No, Mrs. Cullen was giving me directions to a couple of  
bookstores that would have books on my subject for the next paper we are doing."

Angela was next to speak "What subject are you doing?" she asked a little awkwardly eager.

"The 'original Dracula' Vladdy! as I like to call him." Jesse said getting in her car. "Now, shall we head to  
my house so we can get there before dark?"

And with that the other girls got in their car and followed Jesse home.

Edward grew curious about how Jesse would behave while in Port Angeles. Dropping Jade off at the  
house, he turned back around to Port Angeles, and waited in the shade, listening to Jessica and Angela's minds.

"So, how does this dress look?" Angela asked, twirling in a fitted dress with a bell bottom and a strap that  
looped up around the neck.

"You look cute in that. I like it!" Jesse said. "You should get that one."

"What about this one?" Jessica then came out in a strapless lavender dress that was a little poofy at the  
bottom.

"That's cool. Hey, do you guys mind if I go look for these stores real quick while you look for your  
accessories? I'll meet you at the cafe in like an hour?" Jesse asked. The other girls nodded and pointed her in  
the right direction. She said bye and walked out the door, but within 5 minutes was a little lost.

"Of course!" she complained as she took out her phone to try and get directions from Ang or Jess how  
to get there, but it was dead. She forgot to charge it the night before. 'Well...I'm screwed.' she thought as she turned  
idiotically down a not-so-well-lit street.

A pair of eyes landed on the girl that walked down the street near the pub. The man looked at his two  
friends and nodded for them to go around the corner, cut her off at the end of the streets. When they felt he slowly  
began to follow her with his fourth friend in tow.

Jesse continued to walk and then realized she was bein followed. 'Great, and I can't call for help with a dead phone.  
I can hit them with it though....Maybe outrun them?' She thought to herself just as she saw two other guys turn down  
the alley to walk towards her.

"Hey sugar you lost?" one guy asked. The others laughed jeeringly.

"Why don't you let us buy you a drink?" another pipped in. The four guys all stood at least ten feet away from her on  
all sides.

The cold night air was absolutely silent except for the sound of car tires screeching a few blocks down the street.

Jesse's head snapped in the direction of the squealing tire sound. 'What the hell?' She thought just as a guy  
reached out to grab her. She saw this out of the corner of her eye and hit the hand. "I don't drink. I'm not old  
enough. Maybe in 4 or 5 hundred years though," she said as she tried to walk past the guys towards the general  
direction of the car that was speeding towards them.

Head lights blinded her as the turned the corner. The screeching sound of the brakes being slammed bounced  
off the walls of the buildings. The car stopped two feet away from Jesse and the passenger door opened. "Get in!"  
Edward's voice was a deer growl, anger and urging seeped into each word.

Jesse paused for a asecond then unfroze, realizing who was in the car. She swiftly did as told, jumoing in and  
buckling her seatbelt. "What-Why-How...?" She started to ask a question when they began to speed away but  
she couldn't quite get the words out, which was fine considering Edward cut her off anyways.

"Are you alright?" Edward didn't look at the girl. His eyes were narrowed and stared straight ahead, fury plain  
on his face. The grip he hand on the steering wheel made the leather groan.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Jesse said, finally able to put a full sentance together. "How did you know where I was? I thought  
you were going hiking with your family?"

Edward chose to ignore her question, for now. The inside of the car was dark as it went down the streets at  
break neck speeds. Turning corners faster then anyone should. Before she knew it the car came to a stop at  
the place the three girls had planed to eat that night. Jess and Angela were just leaving, pacing anxiously away  
from them. Edward got out of the car and quickly went to open Jesse's door to let her out as well.

"Chivalry isn't dead I see," she joked as she called out to the other girls. "Jessica! Angela! Hey! Sorry I took so  
long. I...uh...lost track of time" she said as they hugged her.

"It's okay," Jessica said as she saw Edward standing there.

"We don't mind. We were just heading out though. Sorry, we already ate, while we were waiting." Angela said,  
looking a little more than captivated by Edward's more than perfect appearance.

"It's okay, I'm not that hungry," Jesse said with a smile as her stomach growled.

Edward looked down at the shorter girl and raised his eyebrow. "I should make sure you eat," he looked up at  
the two girls. "I'll drive her home tonight."

Angela was smiling and the look on Jessica's face was priceless. Edward tried not to laugh at the girl stammering  
thoughts.

"Um. Alright yeah. Okay." Jessica managed.

Angela took a hold of Jessica's arm. "Take care Jesse. We'll see you tomorrow."

With that the two left, Jessica looking over her shoulder every few seconds, completely dumbfounded.

Edward held the door to the restaurant open waiting for Jesse to go ahead of him.

Jesse stared after the other girls for a second then decided to go in the restaraunt. It couldn't hurt..right? She  
just stuck with eyeing Edward out of the corner of her eye as a hostess walked over and took them to be seated.  
Of course, because he was so captivating for some reason (and its in the script. Lol) The hostess hardly  
acknowledged Jesse's presence and walked them over to a booth in the middle of a semi-empty room.

"What can I get you to drink?" She asked, still staring.

"Dr.Pepper please," Jesse requested, so the blonde wrote it down and then asked again, this timme directed  
towards Edward alone.

"Same," he said not looking at the girl, but at Jesse instead.

"I'll go give the order to your waitress and she'll be right back with yourr drinks" and with that she smiled  
again at Edward and walked away.

Edward looked at Jesse. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. How did you...?" Jesse started to aske the question but the waitress interrupted them

"Here are your drinks, can I gete you anything to eat?" she asked, staring also at Edward, who again, wasn't  
looking. He was however smiling.

"Spagetti is fine for me," Jesse said, kinda PO'd that the waitresses couldn't be at least a little more subtle.

"And for you hun?" she asked.

"Nothing thank you." He said.

"Alright. I'll have that out in a minute." and she smiled just as the other girl had and walked away.

"Anyways, how did you know where I was" Jesse said again, determined to get an answer

"I followed you to Port Angeles, only you could get into trouble in a small town. I've never tried to keep a  
specific person alive before, and it's much more troublesome than I would have believe. But that's more  
likely because it is you." He paused.

Jesse let this sink in for a second, her face showing confusion, then anger that he was stalking her then finally  
annoyance at this same thing. "You were stalking me?" she questioned, annoyance heavy in her voice.

Edward decided to lighten the wording. "I was watching over you. You are a danger magnet." He was wondering  
why she hadn't gone into shock yet. She had almost been attack by four men in a dark ally, swept up by someone  
she just barely knows, and she was angry that someone followed her.

The boy looked down at the Dr. Pepper that Jesse didn't realize she had drained. He gave her his drink. "Please eat  
a bit and drink some more. You might need it soon." Just then the waitress brought over the plate of food, placing  
it on the table.

"Can I get you anything else?" She asked looking between the two and finally rested her eyes on Edward.

"No. Thank you." He he still didn't look at the poor girl.

She nodded her head, almost defeated, and walked away

Jesse picked up her fork and dug into her food, not realizing how hungry she really was. "So how did you know I  
was going to be here at all? I didn't tell you, unless you have a tap on my phone and heard my conversation with  
my mom." she joked, "No wait, let me guess your mysterious answer....you read my mind?"she mocked, rolling her  
eyes and drinking more DP and shoveling more food into her mouth.

He chuckled at the opportunity to actually tell the truth. He didn't care much anymore. He wouldn't share all of the  
truth.....but he would do what he could. He sighed and folded his hands on the white cloth covered table. "It's  
harder then it should be-keeping track of you." he said. "Usually I can find someone very easily, once I've heard  
their mind before." He paused only a brief second at the confused look on Jesse's face. "I was keeping tabs on  
Jessica. Not carefully. I was only curious about what you where doing. But like I said, only you could find trouble  
in Port Angeles."

"What do you mean 'heard their mind before?'" Jesse asked, staring at Edward with the most confused look on  
her face.

"You arent going to listen anyways so why should I tell you?" he asked, intending to tell her anyways, but deciding  
to have a little fun too.

"I promise that whatever you say I will trust you and not write you off as joking. Now what do you mean 'Hear  
their MINDS?'" she asked, emphasis on the word minds

The bronze haired boy sighed. 'Over the edge I go.' he thought to himself. "I can hear the thoughts of every  
single person around me. What they are thinking, what they are feeling." he paused again and looked Jesse in the  
eyes. Everyone except you." then he thought for a second. 'And sometimes my mother.' but he wouldn't tell her that.

"How is that possible? " Jesse questioned. 'I mean, the only people I know of that can do stuff like that is mythical  
creatures like vampires and some super heros...like the devil guy in that...one...show..." she smiled at how dumb  
that just sounded.

He left it open to her. But he could only guess that she had become scared. Her food had been left half eaten and  
her drink gone warm. And Edward said nothing.

"How are we doing?" The waitress came over again, breaking the silence.

"We're ready for the check now, please." He said, keeping his eyes on Jesse.

"Of course. Here it is." She handed him the folder that held the bill.

Edward has the money ready, handing it too her. "No change." He said, hoping the large tip that came out of the  
100 $ bill would would make her happy to leave them be.

"Are you ready to go home now?"

Jesse just stared blankly at him, then opened her mouth to speak. "You didn't have to pay for me and no I'm not. How can you hear what other people are thinking? Can you hear EVERYONE but me or just certain people? How does it work?" her mind was flooded with questions suddenly.

He looked at the people around him. "We'll talk about this in the car." Edward didn't let her protest. He stood up and waited for her to follow him out.

Jesse merely rolled her eyes, glad he couldn't here her thoughts, if he really could here anyones at all, because she was sure that he would have definately held the those particular dirty thoughts against her forever. "Fine," she sighed and followed him to his car. They got in the car and she immediately started questioning him again. "So if you can't read my mind, then how did you know where to find me is my main question," she said, waiting quietly and patiently for him to think and give his answer

"I followed your sent." Was his simple answer.

"You followed my scent? Like a dog?" she said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"What do you think Jesse?" He still didn't let his eyes go off the road. 'I have to lay it out for her?' "My family's skin is paler then it should be. Our skin is ice cold." He let the answer linger in the air.

"Well, I haven't touched you so I wouldn't know that," she responded in a smart ass tone. "So what are you trying to say? Your a vampire?" she asked, partially entertaining the idea, but mostly sarcasm and mockery in her voice.

Edward looked at her a moment, then back to the road. "And what if I were?" The car came to a stop in front of Jesse's house.

"I don't know. Can you turn off the heater now? I'm warm again thanks." Jesse asked. "If you were that would be pretty cool, I love vampires, but since the belief that those things were real went out with Vladdy," she smiled.

Edward gave a small smile. Jade was right. No one would believe it. Turning off the heater, he looked at the short girl. "Tomorrow after school. The wood behind the building. Come alone and I'll prove it for you." He pause a second. The girl wanted answers didn't she. "That is unless, you are afraid?"

Jesse just scoffed, "I don't get scared that easy." and with that she took it as her cue to go. She got out of the car and started up the drive way. About halfway up, though, she trips and falls. When she looked back, he wasn't there anymore, but something told her that he saw it somehow.

The next day Edward didn't look in Jesse's direction the entire day. None of them did. The boy even kept silent when he sat next to her in biology.

Jesse showed up a little little late, so she didn't see edward by his car when she got there. During lunch she tried to wave at Alice but she was ignored. She again tried to wave, but this time to Edward, but he wasn't looking. In biology they sat an unusual distance apart. After school she did as told and went straight to the woods and waited, though she didn't have to wait more than a minute, if that. "So how are you going to prove to me that you are a mythical creature?" Jesse asked, amusement and curiosity drowning every word.

Edward walked within five feet of the girl. Taking in a breath and closing his eyes, the boy was a blur and then vanished.

Jesse's eyes followed in the direction she thought he went in, but she wasn't sure and she just gave up on trying to watch him move. "Edward?" she questioned, a little nervous, but trying not to let it show in her voice. She failed of course and her voice cracked as her eyes finally fell on where Edward had finally stopped. He looked back in her eyes as she stood there and watched him, waiting for him to speak.

But he didn't say anything. Edward needed her to be overwhelmed. For her to see what he really was. He vanished again, this time appearing a good thirty feet away on top of a large rock. His hand laid across the top, as white as the stone itself. His fingers flexed, a loud cracking noise filled the empty air around the forest.

Jesse winched as the sound pierced her ears.

The rock beneath the boys feet cracked and crumpled, and he was gone. He landed in a tree just above Jesse before she could even blink and leaned down. The great oak gave a groan as he gripped onto a branch.

"I'm stronger then anything you'll even know. I'm faster then your eyes could ever follow." He breathed. A patch of sunlight shone down through the tree tops. Slowly he extended his hand, the light catching on stone skin, and showed Jesse what he looked like in the sun.

Jesse stared at his outstretched hand, then at him. She couldn't help her automatic reaction after the shock of his skin reflecting the light wore off. She slowly reached up to move her hair behind her ear and then reached for his hand, slightly trembling. "Can I...?" She questioned, wondering if it was possible to be so.....sparkly was the only word she could think of.

He didn't say anything, but nor did he move his hand. Edward watched the girls expression closely. He couldn't read her mind like he could everyone else's. He had to know if she was afraid. "What are you thinking right now?" It was almost a whisper.

Jesse didn't want to answer, she for some reason unknown even to her, just wanted to touch his hand, his skin. It was so captivating and beautiful. She made contact for just a second then pulled her hand away. The only thing she could say, "How? Why? What?" her mind overflowed with questions of how he could be soething that supposedly was just a myth. How could he be outside during the day? How could he live in one place so long and not be found out? How could he go without feeding on anyone, or better yet how did all 7 of them manage to not feed on anyone?

Edward almost smiled. "It's a bit of a long story."

"I have time," Jesse replied simply, "if you do." Edward looked at her and thought for a second and then began.

"All I have is time," he smiled. "I just, I don't know if it's a good idea for us to be alone..." he began, his voice trailing off.

"Why? And why were you so rude when I first came here? Is it because of who you are?" Jesse asked, FINALLY putting the pieces together. She didn't want to say 'what you are' because she thought it made him seem like he wasn't a person. She watched hi sit in the tree, then walked to a close rock and sat down, still waiting.

"Your smell to me....it's more then just tempting. It's hard to be around humans but we get used to it. Carlisle likes to call us vegetarians. We drink the blood of animals. But when I smelled you that day. It was like I had haven't had anything to eat...ever....I wanted to kill you that day Jesse. And I would have."

Jesse's eyes widened for a split second, but not out of fear. They widened because a new question popped into her head. "Can Alice and the rest of your family read mind's too?" she asked a little too eagerly. 'If they can I'm not going within a 100 miles of them again, if they can read my mind.' she thought to herself.

Edward raised his eyebrow. "No. It's just me. Although Alice tends to see glimpses of the future." He didn't know if Jesse could handle his mothers secret yet.

Jesse seemed slightly relieved by that. "And the others? What can they do?" They were now sitting together, on a ledge, not too close, but not too far either. She watched him with an all new infatuation. She watched his every breath, his moves, the way his hair moved in the wind.

The boy seemed relieved that he didn't have to keep his mask up as much anymore. He looked out at the open sky. "Jasper can influence your mood. Things tend to go a lot smoother when he's around. My father. Well you could call his absolute patience. There is nothing that gets him angry and he has more control then the rest of us. Emmett. Well he brought along his strength and Rosalie her stubbornness I guess." He chucked.

Jesse laughed at the Rosalie comment. "So how can you all live amongst us without being noticed?" she questioned

"We stay low. Try not to draw much attention to ourselves. We get noticed no matter what we do. But as long as no one cares about us after awhile... We move from place to place when we need to. I can't tell you how many times I've graduated. Or been picked on by Jade in classes." He smiled fondly at the memories of his mother poking at him, literately.

"Thats cool. So what can Mrs. Cullen do? You didn't answer that part." Jesse asked stubbornly and curious.

The vampire thought about that a moment. "Before she was a vampire. Jade was a witch. Much stronger then I'm told then she is now. When she turned into a vampire, it all went haywire I guess. She's still trying to get it under control. But she can manipulate natural elements. Make trees grow and form fire in her hands." He paused a moment then laughed. "Well...again, she used to." A huge smile crept onto his face when he remembered Emmett scaring his mother during fire practice.

Jesse and Edward talked about nothing for the next few minutes then Jesse realized it was getting dark....well, darker than usual. "I should head home before my mom puts out an amber alert." And with that she stood up and turned to walk away, but tripped on a branch.

Edward laughed. "Do you want me to drive you home?" He asked, slowly following behind Jesse.

"My truck..?" Jesse began. "It's going to be stuck at the school, right?" she looked at him.

"I can drive your truck for you." He smiled.

"Then I guess, just don't kill my car please," she smiled and started walking back to his car. She, for some reason, was in the lead, which she realized was a bad idea when she started tripping every other step she took.

When Edward got home, Alice was waiting for him on the steps of their house.

"Well your back early." She smiled at him.

"I would have called, but as I'm sure you know."

"So she knows now does she?"

"Yeah. Did you tell Rosalie?" He asked almost nervously.

"Nope. Not yet."

"Good. Do me a favor and don't tell her when I'm around." Edward walked into the house.

Jesse walked into her house and took a shower. When she looked outside after drying off and getting dressed, sure enough in it's usual spot, was her truck. She walked downstairs and said goodnight to her mom.

The next day was gloomy and awkwardly green, just like usual. And Jesse actually admitted to herself to being happy to get to see Edward that day. She got dressed and went to school, arriving at the same time as the Cullen cars. She parked and got out. She was just across the lane about to walk over when Rosalie gave her an icy glare and walked past. Emmit followed Rosalie. Jesse waved hi to Alice and Jasper, then walked to Edward. "So, how are you today?" she asked in an oddly cheerful tone.

Edward looked at Jesse. "I'm doing just fine. How about you?"

Alice smiled at Jesse widely. "Well what do you think?" She was almost giddy. Her hands around Jaspers arm were gripped tightly.

Jesse just stared blankly for a second. "About wha--OOh! Pretty Necklace! About what?" She asked.

Alice smiled. "Thank you!"

Edward blinked at the girl that stood in front of them. "Jesse, did you land on your head as a child?"

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing." He smiled.

Jasper smiled and looked at Alice. 

Jade finally made her way to the four after speaking with Rosalie. She sighed and held the bridge of her nose between her fingers. "Why the hell do vampires have to get head aches too." 

Jesse thought for a second. "...Vampi-..OH RIGHT!" she suddenly exclaimed, "Is that what you were talking about? When you ask what I thought?" She questioned. "It's cool. Why do you have a headache?" She turned to Jade.

Alice laughed. "oh no! It was about the new necklace."

"I have a headache because as much as i love my daughter. She can be a bitch." Jade walked off, late for an early meeting.

Edward watched his mother leave and looked down at Jesse. "Well shall we?" He held out his arm to the girl.

Jesse grabbed onto his arm and they began to walk. She looked over to Alice, "So how are you today?" she asked, making conversation.

"Really good now that Edward will finally let me talk to you." She was smiling ear to ear.

Edward looked around at the staring students. Thier thought bordered on stammering to just down right funny. "Well," he almost wispered. "I'm going to hell anyway."

"What?" Jesse asked, not quite catching what he had said, tightening her grip on his arm as she ALMOST slipped, but caught herself so no one, well aside from Edward Alice and Jasper, saw it.

Alice laughed. "Everyone is staring. You two are the new hot topic." She continued to laugh and Jasper gave a smile.

Jessica pratically strode up to the two, mouth gaping open and gave Jesse the look that said 'You are telling me everything.'

Jesse let out a sigh and sat next to Edward on a bench. "So...class doesn't start for another 10 minutes....and I have nothing to bug you about anymore....now what?" she asked Edward as Rosalie glared and then walked into her mothers classroom.

"We try to keep you from droping dead from your own clumsiness."

Jesse glared at him. "Dick" she mumbled under her breath, though she knew he heard it. She looked at him with a 'sweet and innocent' smile. "What?"

She started singing in a hushed voice a song that she hadn't heard in a while, "I'm strange and I like it thats just the way I am. I can't change I can't hide it, thats just the way I am. Might as well get over it don't try to understand I'm strange and I like it, just the way I am...."

"Right. So what are you going to tell her?" Edward nodded in the direction of Jessica

"I have no idea....what should I tell her?" Jesse asked, honestly confused as to what she should tell Jessica, knowing that she would be bombarded with questions as soon as she got to Trig.

"She wants to know if we are secretly dating. And she wants to know how you feel about me." He said after a pause.

"Wow" Jesse said, "Your little gift comes in handy! Can you read my Trig teachers mind and give me the answers to the test tomorrow?" she asked. Edward glared at her. "Fine, I'll study like a normal person." she smiled. "Thanks, I gotta get to class now, and so do you. I'll talk to you later" Jesse said as she stood up, smiled and walked to her class.

Jessica's eyes lit up when Jesse entered the room. "You have GOT to tell me everything! What did you guys talk about? Are you dating? Did he kiss you? What was it like? OHMYGOD!" Her words all seemed to mesh together, the high pitch at the end hurt Jesse's ears. "Spill girl spill!"

"Uhh...nothing, not that I know of, no, and I'll let you know what it was like if he ever does. K?" Jesse answered, but then continued when she saw Jessica's face go to disappointed at the lack of details. "We just ate dinner and talked about school. We didn't kiss because...well...I don't know you have to ask him that. I can't tell you what it was like because, like I said, it didn't happen. Anything else?"

"Well-" But Jessica was cut off as the teacher finally made herself known to the rowdy class.

"Alright guys. Get out your homework from last night and hand it forward. Then you're going to open your books to page 338 and do the first five questions as a warm up. I don't expect any of you to get them right. It's just reasoning skills i'm looking for. You've done steps like this before. It's just in a different format. Get to it." He went around picking up the papers as the students groaned.

The door opened and a man dressed in a black suit stepped in to look around. He had dark short hair with gray streaks on the sides. His narrow eyes almost looked red as he scanned the room quickly.

"Can I help you sir?" The Trig teacher asked annoyed.

The man looked up and gave a sniff. "No." And with that he left.

Jessica stared at the closed door. "What was that all about?"

Jesse stared blankly at the door the man had just disappeared through. "I have no idea." Jesse said finally taking out her math book and starting on the questions

 

Jade sat at her desk in her empty class, typing. Her hands were a almost a blur on the keyboard. All the other teachers could never figure out how she got all of her work down days before they did. Being a vampire did have it's advantages.

She was almost done when she suddenly stopped. A chill ran down her back as the door began to open.

"This is a bit unexpected." A deep and dark voice said. And Jade knew who it was before the man stepped into the room. "You have been turned into a vampire Eliza."

"Father." She said as she stood from her desk. "And it's Jade now." Her tone was as stiff as she was, excluding the skin of stone.

"It was almost hard to find you. So much blood in one place. And the smells. And yours is everywhere." Her father chose to sit down on a desk, ignoring her comment.

"It's a school. I work here father."

"I knew you were alive. But I would have thought you would have told me when you became a vampire." Lyle's red eyes were mocking. 

Biting her lip Jade couldn't hold back the memories that began to flood her mind at her fathers tone. Her childhood flashed before her eyes. The man that turned her, the moment that she bit her pride and crawled to Carlisle for help and worst of all the death of her mother. 

Edward was slammed with the images of his adoptive mothers past. He began running. Jade's past memories and present thoughts mingled and they all spelled danger. 

"How" The teacher asked as calm as she could, blocking off her thoughts. She knew that her father would come around. She just hadn't been prepared. 

"It took a long time." The tall man moved to sit on the front desk, keeping his distance. "Your mother would be ashamed to see you now. So like your father." 

"I am nothing like you." Her growled retort scared her. 

Lyle sensed that sprout of fear. "I can see that. Your eyes. They are weak. Mrs. Cullen." He mocked again. 

Jesse saw Edward running trying his best not to draw attention to himself. 

"Edward? What's wrong?" She didn't get to finish. 

"Stay here!" He barked, rushing past her. She looked back and forth between the direction the vampire was going and the way she was headed. 

"Like hell." She breathed and rushed after the bronze haird boy, shoving everyone out of her way. 

"You've changed. My daughter." 

"Not much." 

"You are a Literary teacher. You threw away your givin name. You married and inferior Vampire-" 

"Carlisle has never been, and never will be inferior." Another growl. 

"I will have to report this to the Coven. They won't aprove." Lyle almost tutted. 

"As if I chose to be turned." She scoffed. 

"Maybe not. But you know the Shadow leaders. Very finicky about the paperwork. Eliza. How many have you killed?" 

"Jade!" Edward burst through the door, the wood groaning in protest on it's hinges. 

"Edward stay back." Jade's voice was surprisingly strong. 

Alice and Emmett ran into Jesse along the way. Alice's face was clouded with worry. 

"Alice! What's going on?!" Jesse demanded. 

"It's Jade. Someones come to see her." Her bell like voice cracked when they hit the doorway the three were blocked by Edward. 

"I see you've gathered your own little family. And each as weak eyed as the next. 

Jade growled again. "You've changed father. What's happened to make you so arrogant?"

"Arrogant? Oh my dear daughter." 

"Daughter? That guy is Jade's Dad?" Jesse spoke up. 

Lyle smelled the air and his eyes almost lit up. 

"You've brought a human?" His eyes leveled on Jade. "Eliza. You have gone so far beyond the code it's appalling." 

"Who the hell are you?" Emmett barly restrained himself from diving at the tall vampire and slamming him into the desk he sat on.


End file.
